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墨書 Inktalez
……Cemetery
Ziya stood before the grave of Lao Ran's family of four, placing a pristine white chrysanthemum at the footstone. She bowed deeply, then burned the incomplete resignation report and the bank card she had been asked to deliver in front of their graves. Nearby, butterflies danced gracefully in the distance, harmonizing with the stillness of the place. They fluttered in pairs, tracing beautiful arcs in the boundless sky. After the incidents involving Zhang, the Chief Editor, and Lao Ran, things seemed to have calmed down on the surface, but Ziya still harbored many unresolved questions within her heart.
……Ziya
Ziya's mental state had mostly returned to normal, yet each day she found herself forced to swallow colorful pills that left her frowning at their nauseating scent. When her mother, Zi Anqing, was out of sight, she pulled a plastic bag from beneath her pillow, already filled with similar pills. She stuffed the new ones into the bag and tucked it away under the bed.
“Ziya, are you ready?” Anqing called from the kitchen, where she had prepared breakfast. She had even poured out two capsules of cod liver oil bought from Red Flag Supermarket yesterday and placed them on the dining table, planning to monitor Ziya as she ate.
Liu Haoming had left early that morning to handle matters related to Zhang's funeral. At that moment, Ziya remembered Zhou Chen's phone; in the chaos back then, it had ended up with Lao Ran. A chill ran down her spine at the thought—what if she had kept that phone? Just then, her phone vibrated; it was a call from Sun Meng.
“Yeah, it's me…” she said as she held the phone to her ear while reaching for a comb in the bathroom to tidy her hair. Her fingers brushed against a thin scar on her neck, still slightly painful.
“Hey! I'm glad you're okay! Liang Chao and I were worried about you all night!” Sun Meng's voice came through lazily, clearly just waking up.
“Liang Chao? You two are together…” Ziya teased with a playful smile.
“What's so strange about that? It’s just how things are now. You’re not going to label me as an oddball, are you?” Sun Meng replied cheerfully, almost showing off.
“Alright then, I wish you both a long and happy life together. Bye!” Ziya hung up irritably and shuffled into the living room in her slippers. “Anqing, are you calling me?”
Zi Anqing looked up with a smile. “Come eat these two pills before breakfast. I consulted an expert about your health; it seems you're lacking some nutrients like iron and other essentials. You need to eat more of these supplements.”
"Anqing, if you keep giving me these random pills, you're going to kill me. I'm not eating this..." Ziya angrily glanced at the fish liver oil capsules on the dining table, turned on her heel, and rushed to her room. She quickly changed her clothes, tied her hair into a high ponytail, and slipped into a pair of tight jeans. Striding out of the hallway, she called out to Anqing, "I don't have time; I need to hurry. So, I'm not eating it. Bye!" With a loud bang, she left before Ziya could react.
What worried her was that she hadn't had the chance to ask Liu about the problem she had thought of last time. She needed to find her early today to get some clarity.
"This girl..." Ziya sighed as she hurried to the door, only to find no trace of her daughter outside. With a resigned breath, she turned back and put the fish liver oil capsules back into the bottle.
On the way, Ziya received a call from Liang Chao checking in on her. It was just some concerned small talk, likely prompted by Sun Meng's call that morning. Feeling uneasy, she had asked her boyfriend to call and gauge the situation. But honestly, she wanted Sun Meng's help for two reasons: one was her special abilities, and the other was her intense desire to unravel the mysteries of the building. Although there had been several minor scares in the building, successfully completing her internship there would undoubtedly benefit her future career. This was also a significant life experience as she stepped into society! Before coming here, her mentor had placed great expectations on her; giving up easily or retreating was not Fang Ziya's style.
Arriving at the entrance of the News Agency building, Ziya couldn't shake off the feeling that the temporary glass reception desk was bothersome. Ever since Luo Daoming, Qin Nannan, Lao Ran, Zhang the Chief Editor, and Nana had their incidents, the News Agency seemed to be enveloped in a mysterious atmosphere where everyone felt uneasy. On the surface, everything appeared harmonious and calm; however, whispers lingered beneath it all. Whenever sensitive questions about those incidents arose, people would shake their heads in unison, claiming ignorance.
The deaths of those individuals seemed almost plausible: Luo Daoming had drunkenly wandered onto the road and was crushed by a large dump truck. Qin Nannan had been hit while trying to save Ziya from an accident; she forgot about her own peril and was dragged several meters before being found dead under the vehicle. Lao Ran suffered from a tumor in his head combined with schizophrenia that led him to take hostages and face severe consequences. Zhang the Chief Editor and Nana died after violating traffic rules by running a red light and were completely engulfed by a large container truck.
However, what troubled Ziya was how coincidental these events seemed; everything happened too conveniently within a short timeframe—and then there were the phones... Suddenly realizing this connection, she quickly called Anqing to ask if they had gathered any relevant information from the traffic police.
"What? Zhang the Chief Editor's phone..." Ziya exclaimed in shock. She hadn't realized until now that he had received identical messages. Why hadn't Anqing told her about this sooner? Frowning, she brushed aside her bangs; there could only be one explanation—her father must have forbidden them from telling her.
As she stepped into the inner courtyard of the building, she noticed a man wearing a sky-blue hat and dressed in green clothing with bold letters on his back reading "Qingxin Greening." He was replacing dead plants and trimming potted plants placed around various corners of the building.
"Excuse me, could you give me a small potted kumquat tree?" Ziya loved how those golden oranges hung from tiny branches; they looked beautiful.
"Uh... I'm sorry; I'll get you one next time. I came here in a rush today..." The worker smiled apologetically as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.
"No worries; thank you!" Ziya smiled back at him and nodded before hurriedly entering the lobby...
……………………………………Cleaner
Liu felt restless today; after working for a while, fatigue set in. She headed to the break room and sat on a bench against the wall for a quick nap. A 'ding-dong' notification from her phone startled her awake. Squinting at an unfamiliar number on the screen without much thought, she tucked it into her pocket and tried to doze off again. In her hazy state, she sensed that someone quietly opened the break room door without making any noise. When she glanced over with bleary eyes, there was no one at the entrance; it must have just been the wind blowing it open. She closed her eyes again and drifted back into slumber.
A series of sharp, light giggles echoed through the crack of the slightly ajar door, the sound hauntingly cold, as if someone were being choked and could barely make a sound. Liu froze for a moment, a shiver running down her spine, instantly shaking off her drowsiness. She pushed herself up from the bench and stood tall.
"Who... who is there?" she asked, her voice trembling. Outside the door, it seemed as if no one was present at all, but Liu sensed something was amiss. A wisp of what looked like a gauzy garment swirled at the entrance before vanishing suddenly. Confident in her extensive experience, she fearlessly followed it. The shadow ahead flickered and darted away quickly, and Liu hurried after it...
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