My House of Horrors

Chen Ge thought about it for a long time but settled on no answer.

“I still know too little, but I did come away with a reward tonight.” He narrowed his eyes at the bank. Huang Ling’s husband was already gone. “Previously, I thought that he was just a small fry, but it turns out he might be the biggest fish in the pond.”

Chen Ge did not like to do things in a roundabout way, so he decided to go straight to Huang Ling’s home after finishing the Twin Water Ghost mission. The fog on the water dispersed, and it was dark all around. Chen Ge glanced at his watch; it was almost 1 am.

“How long have I stayed in the fog?”

When the boat rowed to the center of the dam, it had not yet been midnight, and now, it was almost one hour later.

“Ol’ Zhou, has the Vat Ghost returned?” Chen Ge stood at the bow and looked down the rope. The dam was deeper than he thought—even with the Yin Yang Vision, he could not see the bottom.

Ol’ Zhou was not there mentally. He had been spooked by Zhang Ya, and his demeanor had stopped being so natural around Chen Ge. Previously, he had always had the impression that his boss was a kind person, one who managed to gather a house of ghosts from his kindness and grace, but seeing Zhang Ya walking out from his shadow at such close distance, Ol’ Zhou changed his mind.

Was it possible for a normal person to spend every moment with such a scary Red Specter, to have their relationship so close that they were basically inseparable?

He even started to wonder if his boss was actually being controlled by a Red Specter, being nothing more than a puppet.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?” Chen Ge’s concerned tone caused Ol’ Zhou to shudder. He quickly snapped into it and waved his hands in quick succession.

“It’s nothing. What were you asking earlier?”

“Did the Vat Ghost return when I was out of it earlier?”

“I don’t think so; the rope hasn’t moved.” Ol’ Zhou shook his head. “Actually, I haven’t been paying much attention. I was too focused on you.”

“Focused on me? By the way, did you see a boy who looked just like me coming over from afar earlier?”

“A boy?” Ol’ Zhou’s confused look explained many things. The thing that had happened earlier was only visible to Chen Ge and Zhang Ya.

“Then did not notice anyone appearing at the bank?” Chen Ge wanted to get more information on Huang Ling’s husband.

“I’m not sure, but I think that was where the fog drifted from.” Ol’ Zhou’s words confirmed Chen Ge’s suspicion. “There is something wrong with the fog?”

Ol’ Zhou was very clever and quickly grasped what Chen Ge was hinting at.

“I have no idea what they’re after, but it’s not that simple to kill me. It’s more like they want to show me something and lead me down a sinful path.” Anyone who saw their young self being brutally murdered would be left with an emotional scare, but with the training given by the black phone, Chen Ge had cultivated a strong and resistant heart.

“But let’s ignore that for now. The Vat Ghost has probably encountered some danger if he still hasn’t returned. Can you help me to communicate with the female ghost inside the shampoo bottle? See if she is willing to help bring back the Vat Ghost.” Chen Ge was worried about the Vat Ghost’s safety. After all, he was sent in alone to deal with so many strange ghosts unwater.

Ol’ Zhou relayed Chen Ge’s words to Wen Wen’s sister. After a while, the shampoo was twisted open from the inside, and a weave of dirty, smelly hair crawled out from within. She seemed to want to crawl onto Chen Ge’s body but was afraid and hesitant.

“What is she doing?” Chen Ge turned to Ol’ Zhou, but the latter did not get it either. The hair was stuck together, and without closer inspection, it did look like water weed.

“They’re both hair, but this is completely different from Zhang Ya’s.” Chen Ge squatted down and made a brave decision as he actively reached out toward the hair on the boat.

“How do you wish for me to help you?” The hair curled around Chen Ge’s finger. It was wet and slippery like he was holding a living fish. The hair knew its limit. She only dared to touch Chen Ge’s finger—she did not even dare to approach his palm. With one end curled around Chen Ge’s finger, the other end reached toward the water.

“You want to drag me into the water?” Chen Ge did not think that the girl would be courageous enough to harm him after Zhang Ya’s appearance and with Xu Yin standing there. “Or are you trying to lead the way?”

Just as they were tussling, the rope at the bow shuddered. Many bubbles followed, and the Vat Ghost’s round head broke the surface.

“How come you’ve been down there for so long?” Probably feeling the concern in Chen Ge’s voice, the Vat Ghost did not appear that frightened anymore. His lips opened and closed as he waved his hands at Chen Ge. More bubbles floated to the surface.

“He found the body, but he could not get close to it. It seems that ghosts are unable to get close to it.” Ol’ Zhou took up the role of the translator seriously—he was very professional.

“Ghosts can’t get close to it?” Chen Ge felt the slickness around his finger. “Is that why Wen Wen’s sister needs my help to get her body?”

Staring at the water, this mission turned out to be different from what he had expected. Wen Wen’s sister was a half Red Specter, and even she could not get close to it, let alone less powerful ghosts. Zhang Ya was probably the only exception, but Chen Ge had no power over that one.

“Xu Yin’s connection to me will weaken once he’s underwater, and he’s still missing his heart—I doubt he’ll be able to go through the barrier as well.” Xu Yin had implicit trust in Chen Ge, and because of that, Chen Ge did not send Xu Yin to do things that he had no confidence in.

“Since ghosts can’t get close to it, then a human has to do it.” Chen Ge took out the black phone to confirm the mission detail. It said clearly that he had to be there alone to salvage the body. “I was wondering why it purposely added a detail like that.”

Chen Ge thought about it for a long time before coming to a decision. “There is nothing to hesitate about. When I first got the black phone, I was in a much worse condition, and I wasn’t afraid then, so there is no reason for me to be afraid now.”

Fixing the rope to the boat, Chen Ge had Ol’ Zhou and Bai Qiulin look over the rope, and he took the flashlight given by Zhang Dabo, removed his shirt and pants, and jumped into the water. The water temperature was low, but Chen Ge did not feel cold. It was unclear whether that was because he was well-trained or because he had gotten used to the chill.

His finger had Wen Wen’s sister’s hair wrapped around it, and she had been pulling Chen Ge toward a direction inside the dam. He sucked in a deep breath and had the Vat Ghost and Xu Yin guard beside him. He dived into the water.

He turned the flashlight on, but the light was weak underwater. Even with his Yin Yang Vision, the range of his sight was very limited. Time seemed to have slowed down like Chen Ge had entered a different world. This place was very quiet, and it gave him a strange feeling, like an unborn child swimming in his mother’s womb.

His body sinking, Chen Ge gripped the flashlight in one hand and the rope in another. Water pressure came in from all sides, and the oxygen in his lungs slowly decreased. There was something that touched Chen Ge in the dark, and it did not feel like fish.

Unable to speak, he was unable to communicate with the ghosts around him. In fact, Chen Ge could not even see them; he could only sense somewhat uncertainly that Xu Yin and the Vat Ghost were next to him. Then again, it was them who gave him courage to go underwater to go searching for a body.

Several seconds later, with the black hair leading the way, Chen Ge saw something that looked like a coffin underwater, and a thick copse of water weed grew around it.