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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 099: Dead Loop (Part Seven)
The car came to a stop by the roadside.
The driver uncle was speaking, but I interrupted him, "Uncle, let me see your arm." He didn't show me his arm; instead, he rolled up his sleeve to look for himself, and then his eyes widened in shock, as if they were about to pop out of his head.
On the driver uncle's arm, there were five distinct finger-shaped marks, slightly red and swollen with a purplish hue.
I snorted coldly and exchanged glances with Uncle Zhang.
Understanding my cue, Uncle Zhang hurriedly pulled out a pair of Peach Wood Chopsticks from his bag and handed them to me. I took them and grabbed the driver uncle's hand, using the chopsticks to pinch one of his fingers tightly. The driver uncle let out a wailing scream that sounded as if he were in excruciating pain, like someone enduring a severe violation. This was just the beginning of the show.
The driver uncle's expression changed dramatically; one moment he was contorted in pain, and the next he wore a sinister smile. The voice that came from his throat was not his own but a sharp, piercing female voice filled with malice.
"Let me go... you bastards... die..."
The driver uncle spat out ugly curses, and Uncle Zhang and I exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do.
I maintained my composure and applied more pressure, reasoning with him, "Come out obediently, and I won't make things difficult for you. I won't wrong an innocent spirit, but I also won't let a wicked one go."
"You bastards... none of you are good people... ah... it hurts... ah..."
"Tell me who you are!"
"I... won't... tell you... ah... it hurts... save me..."
The driver uncle's face was pale as death, and the strange sounds coming from his throat frightened Uncle Zhang; he broke into a cold sweat and began to doubt my abilities.
Perhaps if my grandfather were here, this would have been resolved much sooner. Once someone is tormented by evil spirits like this, their body can easily weaken, leading to exhaustion and ultimately death. I couldn't afford to waste any more time. I invoked an Exorcism spell and performed hand gestures while instructing Uncle Zhang to apply more force until the driver uncle's fingers turned an ominous shade of purple.
A chill surged through his weak pressure points. I couldn't abandon the life-threatening situation of the driver uncle to chase after the escaping ghosts, so I quickly pinched his philtrum and had Uncle Zhang hand me a bottle of pure water, which I poured over him from head to toe.
After a long while, the driver uncle finally regained some breath. The purplish hue on his arm faded away as he slowly opened his eyes. His first words were, "What just happened? Why can't I speak?"
"It's nothing," I nodded at him, handing him a bottle of water. As I watched him gulp it down, all I could see from the side was his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. I added, "When you're out and about, you should carry a statue of your protective deity."
The driver, who had been quite indifferent to me before, now seemed skeptical and asked dismissively, "How do you know what your protective deity looks like? Can a protective deity cure illnesses? Or bring wealth? You know, the kind that makes money without doing anything."
I didn't know the driver's name, but seeing his good relationship with Chi Ruiqiang suggested he was an important figure in the hospital; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so firmly. In his world, medicine was supreme and omnipotent. To someone like me, I was merely a charlatan making a living through deception.
Sigh! We just weren't on the same wavelength.
I genuinely didn't expect him to be interested in this protective deity. Noticing my silence, he pressed on, "How can one find out what their protective deity is?"
"Tell me your birth date, and I'll take a look for you."
The driver shared his birth details with me.
"Oh, you're born in the Year of the Dog? Then your protective deity is Amitabha Buddha. You should buy a statue of Amitabha Buddha from a temple and carry it with you." The driver seemed half-convinced but didn't argue further. I did my best to reassure him: "What happened earlier was just a scare; everything is fine now. Just focus on driving."
Seeing that the situation was under control, Uncle Zhang also sighed in relief. He smiled and said, "Buddy, Seven is your savior. If it weren't for him today, you might have been in serious trouble."
"I’m not entirely sure what happened earlier, but I definitely owe thanks to both of you. This is just a small token of my appreciation." The driver rummaged through his bag and pulled out a stack of cash—about two thousand or so. Accepting it wouldn't be unreasonable since I had just saved him.
However, if I accepted this money, it would only reinforce his view of me as a con artist living off deceit. Besides, he had been affected by some malevolent force and was in an unclear state; once he woke up, he wouldn't remember anything. Therefore, I couldn't accept his money.
I declined the driver's gratitude and casually asked, "What's your surname?"
The driver started the car and smiled sheepishly. "You can just call me Lin."
Lin—I suddenly had a flash of insight and muttered to myself, "The capital letter 'L' sounds very similar to the pinyin for 'Lin.' Could it be...?"
The driver was focused on the road, and there was still some distance to the funeral home. Uncle Zhang was looking at me seriously, and upon hearing my words, he became nervous and hurriedly whispered, "What does that mean?" He was still concerned about the bloodline matter.
"There are signs."
Uncle Zhang wanted to ask more, but I waved my hand at him and stretched my neck toward the driver. "Excuse me, sir, is your son named Lin Tai?"
"Yes! That ungrateful son drives me crazy."
"Uncle Lin, please don't be angry. I've heard about Lin Tai; how is he doing now?" As I asked, I noticed we had arrived at the funeral home.
Uncle Lin turned the car right and parked in an empty lot across from the funeral home. He rolled down the window and sighed, "It's a long story. I'll tell you after you come out from inside. I won't go in; I'll wait outside."
I had proof with me, along with Chiang's identification documents, so I shouldn't have any trouble getting in, and I would soon see Chiang lying in the coffin.
Uncle Zhang was quite old, and I didn't want him to go inside. I felt that if he went in, it would create a strange feeling that he wouldn't come out again. Uncle Zhang seemed indifferent, shrugging his shoulders. "If you're afraid to go in, you might as well go in. That's just how life is."
"Uncle Zhang, waiting here with Uncle Lin isn't a solution. I think..." I looked around and spotted a teahouse by the roadside. I raised my hand and pointed. "Let's go there for some tea while you wait for me."
"I'm not going." Uncle Zhang was stubborn about everything; if he didn't want to go, no one could force him.
With no other choice, Uncle Lin and Uncle Zhang stayed in the car while I went into the funeral home alone.
Entering the funeral home wasn't difficult; unless it was a vehicle, people could come and go freely as long as they weren't here for leisure. There were guards at the entrance, but they didn't ask me what I was there for.
I entered the funeral home at four fifty in the afternoon. Strangely enough, there was no one inside or outside; even the guards at the entrance were absent. I had been to this funeral home a few times before; usually, there were many vehicles coming and going. To the left of the entrance was a parking lot, but now it was empty.
I walked forward casually. I expected someone to come and ask me something, but no one appeared. The reception hall was deserted, with a row of antique counters displaying a few folders. Since there was no one around, I didn't want to casually look through their things and decided to step back outside.
As I descended the stairs, I glanced back and saw that indeed, there was no one around.
In a place like this, you know the feeling it evokes—eerie and unsettling, compounded by the cold wind blowing from all directions.
I made my way toward the mourning room. Passing by the Morgue, I noticed several elaborately decorated coffins quietly resting there, still without a soul in sight. If you think about it, life and death are natural laws; what lies within those coffins is merely a lifeless mixture of fat and protein.
With that thought, a silent smile spread across my heart.
Seeing that there was no one around, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on today! Were people off work early, or did they simply not come in? But if they left early, why were the doors still open?
While I was looking around, a girl hurriedly ran past me in another direction. So there were people here after all? Without a second thought, I dashed after her.
The empty space echoed with the sound of my dress shoes hitting the floor—monotonous, lonely, eerie, and strange.
Even though I worked in this field, the current situation made me break out in a cold sweat. After failing to catch sight of the girl, I had no choice but to give up the chase and stop to carefully observe my surroundings. That’s when I noticed that just to my right, one door was ajar. Behind that door was Number Five Morgue.
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