94: Ninety-four.
Eve of the Storm 94: Ninety-four.
Eve of the Storm Drip—
Click—
Rustle—
Three soft sounds.
The phone had been hung up, the recording pen had stopped recording, and docunts were being rustled through.
“Sounds like we finally have a genuine supernatural event,” muttered Yang Chunxue, hands propping up her chin across the desk.
“I thought you’d be scared,” Lu Li closed the file, slotting it into folder number 3.
“Scared?
?
Never!” Yang Chunxue rolled her eyes, feeling underestimated, and sat up straight to protest, “Besides, if a ghost kills , I’d kill it right back the mont I die.
Don’t underestimate !”
Lu Li didn’t respond, remaining noncommittal.
“Need…
any help?”
A hoarse voice spoke up as the figure of the Black Charcoal Ghost appeared in the doorway.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling—
The phone suddenly started to ring at that mont.
“If I need you, I’ll call you,”
Lu Li responded, picking up the phone again.
While Lu Li was silent, Wei Heping’s altered voice ca from the other end, “I’m heading out.
Does the Detective Agency have mirrors?”
“Of course.”
“Cover them up!
I don’t want to see mirrors.”
“Please stay calm, it’s dayti, they won’t affect you.
If they would— you’d have already run into trouble the mont you stepped out.”
“…You’re right…
I’m sorry, I’m just too scared.
Can I keep the line open in case sothing happens…”
“If your phone’s battery and plan can handle it,”
Lu Li replied, and the next mont, the phone rang again.
Another call was coming in.
“Sorry, I have another call coming.
I need to take this.”
“But I…” Wei Heping started to say sothing but was interrupted by Lu Li, “I’ll give you my cell number, and you can call there.”
“Ah…
okay…”
Handing her cell phone to Yang Chunxue, Lu Li placed the receiver back on the phone, then picked it up again a few seconds later and held it to her ear.
“…”
There was no sound coming from the other end of the line.
Several seconds, fifteen seconds, half a minute, it continued like this.
[Towards countless next stops, draw a long straight line—]
The cell phone suddenly rang.
Lu Li glanced over, Yang Chunxue signaled, quickly picked up Wei Heping’s call, and drifted to a corner of the living room.
His attention returned to the phone, the other side was still silent.
Lu Li slightly furrowed his brow, wondering whether to speak first or hang up.
Rustle—rustle—
All at once, faint sounds began to co through the receiver, growing noisier.
The indistinct noises were hard to identify; they seed like running water or perhaps a continuous applause.
Lu Li instinctively pulled the receiver away from his ear—he had certainly dealt with screaming over the phone or crazy doorbell ringing with no one at the door before.
For the forr, he would note down the opposing number and let Shen Qian bombard the contact with ssages; for the latter, Lu Li had connected the doorbell to a socket.
Both strategies were exceptionally effective.
Lu Li was mistaken; there was no sudden burst of noise from the other end of the receiver, just the continuing ruckus, but now clearer, sounding like rushing water.
Very turbulent water.
Was the caller by a river?
Or playing a video of running water?
A thought suddenly popped into Lu Li’s mind, seemingly unrelated.
The door was in the underground pipelines, and now, the pipelines were filled with surging water.
“Huh?”
Just then, Yang Chunxue suddenly uttered a light exclamation, floated back to the desk, and showed Lu Li the phone screen, “Soone sent you a ssage, and it’s a bit strange…”
The ssage contained three repeated sentences.
[Do not answer!!!
Do not answer!!!
Do not answer!!!]
Staring at these three lines, the sound of water still ringing in his ears seed to transform into an indescribable malice, enticing Lu Li to respond.
Click—
Lu Li temporarily hung up the phone.
The warning ca a bit late, but not too late, as Lu Li had not yet spoken.
“Call Wei Heping with your phone,” Lu Li instructed Yang Chunxue, then hung up the mobile communication and typed content on his cellphone.
“Who are you?”
Lu Li hesitated at the final step of sending.
[Do not answer!!!
Do not answer!!!
Do not answer!!!]
The ssage still existed on the mobile screen.
What if this “Do not answer” text…
applied to this ssage as well?
Lu Li deleted the drafted ssage and instead dialed this phone number.
[Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable.
Please try again later.
Sorry…]
The communication was rejected by the other end.
Seconds later, a new ssage appeared.
[For personal safety, we reject any calls.
Even sending you this ssage is taking a great risk.]
[We]
Lu Li caught the keyword.
Were they an organization?
This ti, Lu Li no longer hesitated and sent a ssage, “Who are you?
Why do you want not to answer?”
[I cannot tell you the answer to the first question, the second is a warning.]
The ssage arrived quickly, followed imdiately by a second text.
[When you hear it, it can see you.
When you see it, it can touch you.
Never let it touch you, for once you’re touched by it, it can contaminate you.]
This phrase seed familiar.
And it made a deep impression.
Liu Zhen’s diary had recorded this text, and what it described…
was that Taoist Sect door.
Lu Li responded, “Are you referring to that Taoist Sect door?”
[…You know more than we imagined, but that’s not good news.
The more you know, the faster you die.]
Lu Li replied, “Don’t worry, if you’re referring to that door, it’s already doing so.”
[Has it heard you yet!?]
“What does ‘hearing’ an?”
[Any response from you—a returned letter, an answer, a conversation, even an interaction.
Consider it a ‘confirmation’ chanism.
It’s confirming it’s really you.]
“If that’s the case, I think not yet.”
Perhaps it was an illusion, but the ssage from the other side carried a relieved tone.
[Good…
rember, never let it hear you.
If it hears you…
then it can see you.]
“And then?”
[It will find you relentlessly, just as it tried to hear you.
I think you’re already aware of its thods.]
“Yes, I want to know how I can avoid it.
Its ways leave no traces.”
[I can’t quite explain the feeling…
In any case, when it tries to find you, if your perception is sharp enough, you’ll feel that indescribable malice, believe , it’s a unique sensation…
assuming you can detect it.
If not, I must cut off contact with you soon.]
“Should I hide?”
[Useless, don’t you understand?
From the mont you touched the door, it had already found you, and now it’s trying to hear you.]
They knew he had co in contact with the door.
Was the other side a “hand”?
After a brief silence, Lu Li replied, “How can I avoid it?”
The wait this ti was unusually long, five minutes later the ssage arrived belatedly.
[Here’s a harsh reality for you.
Those who are noticed by it will eventually be heard by it.
And those who are heard by it will eventually be seen by it, no one is exempt.]
“So, what’s the point in explaining all this to ?”
[A duty to notify.]
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