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墨書 Inktalez
Gravekeeper
I was taken aback. "Dead? Why did he suddenly die? Also, Warden, I shouldn't be a suspect, right?"
"He committed suicide; it has nothing to do with you. However, it seems he left behind a message that might be related to you. You should come over," the Warden said before hanging up.
I set my phone down and got up to leave.
Liu Yiyi quickly asked, "Song Fei, what happened? Who died? If it's dangerous, we can drop the investigation."
I smiled at Liu Yiyi. "It's nothing serious. Jiang Dong died in prison. The Warden wants me to take a look because he left a message for me before he died. I need to check it out."
Liu Yiyi still looked worried. "Song Fei, I'm starting to regret letting you take on this case. There won't be any danger, right? I'll go with you."
Liu Xin also stood up. "Let's all go together. I really don't want to run this teahouse anymore; it's too eerie for me to continue."
The three of us got into the car and headed toward Langcun Prison.
Upon arriving at the prison, the Warden came out to greet me and shook my hand. "Mr. Song, we've confirmed that it has nothing to do with you. Of course, since someone died in prison, I will face consequences as well. I wanted to ask you why Jiang Dong would suddenly commit suicide. To be honest, he was one of the more well-behaved inmates here. Ever since he arrived, he's been studying Buddhist teachings and practicing vegetarianism. We serve meat twice a week in this prison, but he always gave his portions to his cellmate. His sudden suicide is puzzling."
"I find it puzzling too," I replied. "Warden, I'm afraid I can't help you much. Did he leave behind a message?"
"Yes," the Warden nodded. "He wrote it with his own blood on the floor of his cell after biting into his wrist."
"Ah." Liu Xin instinctively stepped back behind me, clearly frightened by the revelation.
Warden handed me a note, saying, "It's this sentence."
I looked down and saw two lines written on the note: "The tortured soul screams, eternally unyielding. Leave there, no longer managing. In the mirror is..."
There was nothing below.
I frowned and looked at Warden. "What comes after that?"
The prison warden shook his head. "That's it. The last four words, 'In the mirror is,' were clearly added later because the bloodstains from before would have taken longer to coagulate, while those four words look fresh, as if they were written in the last moment before he hanged himself."
I thought for a moment. "Thank you, Warden."
"Alright, if I discover anything else, I'll let you know. You all can head back now; I still need to write a report," Warden said with a wry smile as he saw us off.
Liu Yiyi, Liu Xin, and I got into the car. Once inside, Liu Xin said, "Alright, I've made my decision. I'm shutting down that teahouse when I get back. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of it. Also, Yiyi, I'll do my best with our collaboration. If I continue as president, I'll definitely work with you. Of course, this teahouse situation has had a really bad impact; I don't know what kind of punishment the board will give me. Regardless, even if they appoint a new president, I'll strongly recommend you."
Liu Yiyi nodded. "Thank you, Sister Liu. If Huiteng Cultural Group doesn't want you anymore, you can come work at my company. Oh, my current company can't afford you yet, but you could work at my grandfather's Sihai Group; he would definitely appreciate you. After all, your contributions have been significant in helping Huiteng Cultural Group rise so quickly."
Liu Xin smiled; it seemed the two women had truly become close.
As I drove, I realized how impressive Liu Yiyi was; she had indeed managed to win over Liu Xin during these few days. Even with Liu Xin facing suspension, she was already thinking about poaching her.
I parked in front of Ancient Style Teahouse and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror as I opened the door—a habitual action to prevent hitting passing pedestrians or vehicles when opening the car door. Just as I reached for the door handle, I suddenly froze. Looking in the rearview mirror, the image was distant yet enormous! It dawned on me!
I suddenly pushed the door open and walked down.
Over there, Liu Xin was discussing the closure of the teahouse with Jiang Min. I immediately walked over and said, "Sister Liu, let's hold off on closing for now. I understand what's going on."
"Huh?" Liu Xin looked at me in confusion.
I replied, "It's the mirror. Yes, it's the mirror. I've been thinking about it—many people have been to that room, so why did only two women disappear while everyone else remained? And both of them were attractive women. Now I realize it's because they must have looked into that mirror or taken selfies in there!"
Liu Xin and Jiang Min stared at me blankly, then both of them leaned in a little closer.
Liu Xin said, "Song Fei, you're making me even more scared. I'm going to have nightmares about mirrors now. Maybe I should just seal this place up."
I responded, "Wait a moment. I want to go in and take a look. Think about it—if you close this place down, what happens when you're no longer the president of Huiteng Cultural Group? They will definitely continue to operate or transfer this teahouse, and people might still disappear without reason. Right now, it's important to figure out what's really going on inside. Let me try going in first."
Liu Xin hesitated for a moment and then called out to Liu Yiyi in the distance.
Liu Yiyi was on the phone; she hung up and walked over. Liu Xin quickly explained my discovery and decision to her.
"Huh?" Liu Yiyi looked at me. "Song Fei, maybe you really shouldn't go in there. It sounds a bit too bizarre. What if something happens? You see, those people couldn't get out... um, Song Fei, just don't go."
Seeing Liu Yiyi so concerned about me made me feel quite pleased. I said, "Don't worry, Liu Yiyi. Every effect has its cause. Since I've encountered this, I need to investigate it. Alright, does anyone have a mirror? Can I borrow one?"
Liu Yiyi took a mirror out of her handbag. Although it was definitely a mixed bag filled with makeup items like eyebrow pencils, wet wipes, tissues, pens, and sunglasses... I was impressed.
I held the mirror that Liu Yiyi had given me and said, "If I don't come out for a long time, well, Yiyi, remember to burn some incense for me during the holidays."
"Shut up, don’t say that," Liu Yiyi looked at me, a bit anxious. "Song Fei, if you really aren't sure, then don't go in."
I thought about it seriously for a moment but ultimately decided to take a look. Seeing Liu Yiyi genuinely worried made me smile. I waved my hand dismissively. "It's fine. I've faced worse storms; why would I be afraid of this haunted room?" With that, I walked straight toward Room 103 and pushed the door open.
Inside Room 103, it was still quiet, showing no signs of anything unusual.
I took a deep breath and checked my gear again: the Peach Wood Sword, my backpack filled with a few Talismans, Black Donkey Hoof, a handgun, gasoline, and some Black Dog Blood.
I took out Liu Yiyi's mirror, unsure of what would happen. Suddenly, I felt a bit twisted; even though I was scared, I was also strangely excited!
What if it was like in the stories where the protagonist travels to another world? Or maybe I would enter the Underworld and meet the formidable King of Hell.
I held up the mirror and looked into it.
Everything seemed normal in the reflection—there I was in front, and behind me were the window bars; nothing had changed.
I frowned. Did it have to be a woman looking into the mirror? That seemed ridiculous. I thought about what might be different. Oh right! Women are usually serious when they look in mirrors; they pucker their lips, touch their noses, checking where they’ve gained weight or where their makeup has smudged.
I stared at my reflection and blinked, touching my nose…
Suddenly, I froze. My hand trembled in shock as the mirror nearly slipped from my grasp because I clearly saw a man with center-parted hair in the reflection! He had double eyelids and a square face, while I had short hair and single eyelids. What…!
I slammed the mirror shut!
"Hey, Brother Hu, we found you! Hurry up and take a look!" A voice called out from behind me.
I immediately turned around to see a man in a server's uniform rushing towards me, shouting in a hurry.
"Brother Hu?" I was puzzled. Was he calling me? I quickly scanned my surroundings.
What the hell!
This wasn't Room 103, nor was it the Ancient Style Teahouse. The neon lights were flashing, music was blaring, and women with long legs exposed were everywhere, heavily made up and dressed in low-cut dresses. This... this was a club!
I took a step back and quickly checked myself. Damn it, my Peach Wood Sword was gone, my backpack was gone, my handgun was gone. I was wearing some kind of silk dress, and there was a badge hanging on my chest that read "Supervisor, Li Hu!"
I needed to calm down; it seemed like I had become someone else!
"Brother Hu!" The man had already reached my side. "Brother Hu, you need to hurry! I don’t know why, but Cherry suddenly went crazy and has been hacking the guests to pieces. The girls downstairs are all cut up too; you need to act fast."
"I... um, this is Meiyuan Club, right?" I asked.
The man paused for a moment, looking at me strangely. "Brother Hu, you're my hero! You can't be scared by this! Of course it's Meiyuan Club! You need to handle it right away; it's just over there, Room 103 on the first floor."
Before I could respond, he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the first floor.
I took a deep breath; this realization was beyond my comprehension. Time reversal? Time travel? What the hell! Wasn't the Meiyuan Club already burned down by the Great Fire? Why was it appearing again?
The person who had pulled me in led me to Room 103.
As I pushed the door open, I was met with a scene of blood everywhere.
A chubby man lay on the bed, covered in blood, his lower body a gruesome mess. In the corner, a woman was crouching there, trembling in fear.
The waiter who had brought me in was terrified himself, his legs shaking as he leaned against me. "Brother Hu, what should we do? This is the third time this week. Cherry, usually such a good girl, how could she suddenly go crazy?"
I glanced at the chubby man but didn't ask any questions. It wasn't that I was indifferent; I just knew that this man didn't exist. The entire club was a figment of imagination. Although I didn't understand why I was here, I had no interest in dealing with these already dead people.
I looked up at the clock above; it read June of 2001. Ah, the Meiyuan Club from before the Great Fire.
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