The Ghost Detector’s Revelation

A waning moon hung in the sky, while a cool breeze stirred the night.

Zhao Yunzhong pulled his hood back up, then extended a hand towards Zhang Hanchi. “The key,” he prompted.

“Oh… oh!” Zhang Hanchi stammered, still reeling from a complex swirl of shock, sorrow, and fear. It took him over ten seconds to finally, slowly, produce a key from his pants pocket.

Zhao Yunzhong took the key, then, alone, he strode towards Huai Xiang Yuan, disappearing into the encroaching darkness.

Zhang Hanchi watched Zhao Yunzhong’s receding figure. After a few moments of hesitation, he suddenly decided to follow.

Just as Zhao Yunzhong moved to unlock the iron gate, his gaze flickered to Zhang Hanchi. He offered a slight smile. “No guarantees of safety, you know.”

Zhang Hanchi stopped beside Zhao Yunzhong, his tension palpable despite his efforts to conceal it. Yet, Zhao Yunzhong’s lighthearted words offered a flicker of reassurance, prompting him to speak. “Truth be told,” he murmured, “I’ve wanted to go up and see for a long time.”

It was unclear whom those words were directed at, causing Zhao Yunzhong to scrutinize him with an intensely serious gaze for several moments.

Then, Zhao Yunzhong inserted the key into the lock. The rusty core proved stubborn, resisting his attempts with a faint squeak. Only after twisting it repeatedly, more than a dozen times, did it finally yield with a distinct “click,” springing open.

He unfastened the rusty iron chain that coiled around the gate, then Zhao Yunzhong forcefully pulled the iron door open.

“Screeeeech… Gaaaaak…”

The piercing, drawn-out shriek, like the snarl of a beast, echoed with unnerving clarity through the silent, dark night.

Beyond the iron gate stood yet another barrier: a large wooden door.

Zhang Hanchi’s gaze was fixed immovably on the imposing door, his forehead already glistening with sweat.

Zhao Yunzhong, conversely, watched Zhang Hanchi.

A prolonged silence settled between them.

“The key,” Zhao Yunzhong finally spoke.

“The key? Oh, right! The key for this door… Heh heh… I forgot to grab it,” Zhang Hanchi mumbled, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses.

Zhao Yunzhong offered no further comment. Instead, he calmly retrieved a small, circular device from his pocket and placed it over the door’s lock. With a press of a button on its edge, the device glowed red, its light blinking erratically for a few seconds before settling into a steady green.

Simultaneously, a distinct click echoed from behind the door. Zhao Yunzhong pocketed the device, then gave the door a gentle push. With another unsettling, eerie groan, the heavy door swung open.

Zhang Hanchi glanced at Zhao Yunzhong, then gestured pointedly at the copper lock still hanging on the iron gate. His meaning was abundantly clear. “If you possess such advanced gadgets, why on earth did you need me to bring a key?”

“Different models,” Zhao Yunzhong replied blandly, his gaze already drifting towards the darkness beyond the open door.

The interior was utterly pitch-black, devoid of any light. A foul, musty odor permeated the air.

Zhao Yunzhong lifted his left hand, revealing his wrist. With a turn of his watch’s dial, the timepiece transformed into a compact, portable flashlight.

Zhang Hanchi quickly followed suit, pulling out his phone and activating its flashlight.

As their combined lights pierced the gloom, both men began to scrutinize their surroundings.

They found themselves in a moderately sized announcement hall. Dust, disturbed by the opening door, danced in the shafts of light. To their left, an old blackboard still bore faint, un-erased chalk marks.

To their right was what appeared to be the dormitory manager’s lounge. The glass panes of its old wooden window were shattered in places, now reflecting a faint, chilling glow.

Zhao Yunzhong cautiously stepped into the announcement hall, with Zhang Hanchi hurrying close behind.

In his leisure, Zhang Hanchi had watched enough ghost films to know that venturing alone was a cardinal sin. Since he had chosen to follow Zhao Yunzhong inside, he resolved to stay glued to his side. If he could, he would have gladly clung to Zhao Yunzhong like a shadow.

Zhao Yunzhong produced his Ghost Detector, tapping its screen. A three-dimensional map materialized, displaying five distinct red dots scattered across various locations.

Zhang Hanchi leaned closer for a look, comprehension dawning on him in an instant. He gasped, his voice barely a whisper. “No… no way! F-five of them?!”

He spread his palm, holding up five rigid fingers, his face etched with terror.

Zhao Yunzhong remained silent, a tacit acknowledgment of the count. In response, Zhang Hanchi edged even closer to him.

“Ah-choo!” Zhao Yunzhong suddenly sneezed, startling Zhang Hanchi almost out of his skin.

“What was that?!”

Zhao Yunzhong rubbed his nose, a hint of distaste in his voice. “Why does a grown man like you wear perfume?”

“Heh heh, it’s men’s cologne, specifically for men,” Zhang Hanchi explained softly, not seeming particularly embarrassed. “You know, for social engagements and such.”

Zhao Yunzhong, meanwhile, continued to follow the Ghost Detector’s guidance, moving steadily towards the location of one of the red dots.

Zhang Hanchi kept pace beside him, cautiously inquiring, “Is that thing dangerous?”

“Based on the data, the strongest among them is merely a vengeful spirit,” Zhao Yunzhong replied. “A single Soul-Shaking Button should be enough to deal with it.”

“Hmm, and do you… have one of those?”

“Not many,” Zhao Yunzhong confirmed, “but enough.”

Zhao Yunzhong showed no trace of impatience. He understood that some individuals, when gripped by fear, would chatter incessantly, using constant speech as a distraction. Even without a response, they would often talk to themselves.

For every question Zhang Hanchi posed, Zhao Yunzhong offered a concise explanation. The atmosphere remained surprisingly calm and harmonious, almost as if the two men were leisurely strolling through a museum.

Before long, they arrived at the door of dormitory 123.

As Zhao Yunzhong paused before the dormitory door, Zhang Hanchi noticed a red dot on the Ghost Detector had grown larger and more prominent. Above it, the number ’21’ glowed.

At this point, Zhang Hanchi finally fell silent, his hands clenched tightly, his lips trembling almost imperceptibly.

Zhao Yunzhong retrieved the unlocking device once more, pressing it against the door lock. After a few seconds, a soft click emanated from within the lock mechanism. Without removing the device, Zhao Yunzhong applied gentle pressure with his palm, and the dormitory door slowly creaked open.

Zhang Hanchi averted his head, yet his peripheral vision remained locked on the steadily widening gap in the doorway.

“It’s coming, it’s coming!”

“The instant kill!”

He clearly didn’t dare to look, but why wouldn’t his eyes obey him?

Moments later, the door swung fully open.

Zhao Yunzhong’s wrist-mounted flashlight and Zhang Hanchi’s phone light simultaneously pierced the darkness within.

Within the room, a plump girl sat hunched over a table, her cute twin ponytails bouncing with her every movement.

The table before her was laden with an assortment of snacks. Her upper body was slumped over the surface, her plump hands relentlessly shoveling treats into her mouth.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch…”

The sound of her chewing was utterly bone-chilling.

Zhang Hanchi swallowed hard.

The tables and chairs from Huai Xiang Yuan had been removed long ago, yet here they were. This was clearly abnormal.

Of course, a plump girl snacking in a long-abandoned building, late at night, was far more unsettling.

Zhang Hanchi’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Had he not witnessed Zhao Yunzhong’s utterly composed demeanor, he would have undoubtedly turned and bolted without a second thought.

Just then, the plump girl in the room abruptly twisted her head.

It was truly just her head turning; her body and neck remained perfectly still as her head rotated a full 180 degrees with chilling smoothness.

Zhang Hanchi saw it clearly: her cheeks were swollen and slick with grease, and from her squinted eyes, a cold, greyish light emanated. Her thick lips were stretched unnaturally wide by the ‘snacks’ inside, which he now realized were not snacks at all.

Upon closer inspection, they were plump, wriggling maggots!

“Ugh!”

Zhang Hanchi clapped a hand over his mouth, barely managing to suppress the violent churning in his stomach.

At that very moment, the twin-tailed plump girl let out a bloodcurdling shriek, spraying maggots from her mouth. Simultaneously, her grotesque, fleshy body spun a full 180 degrees with surprising agility, then launched itself from the chair.

With arms outstretched, she lunged, as if to embrace the two middle-aged men with terrifying eagerness.

“Ugh! Ugh ugh!”

Zhang Hanchi’s efforts to suppress his stomach’s rebellion completely failed. He vomited violently.

Zhao Yunzhong, however, met the twin-tailed girl’s aggressive ’embrace’ with calm indifference. A button had appeared in his hand at some point. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it.

The button flew true, landing precisely in the twin-tailed girl’s gaping maw.

“Chirp—”

The sound was like a bird’s cry, and a blinding white light erupted as if day had broken.

Ten seconds later, the sound ceased, and the light dissipated.

The room was utterly empty. The tables, the chairs, the snacks—and, of course, the twin-tailed girl—were all gone.

Silence reigned, broken only by Zhang Hanchi’s wrenching retches.

“Ugh… Ptooey, ptooey! Is that… all there is to it?” Zhang Hanchi asked, lifting a pale, green-tinged face.

“Yes. Let’s go. To the second floor,” Zhao Yunzhong replied, closing the door and turning to leave.

Zhang Hanchi quickly followed, wiping his mouth with a tissue.

Perhaps it was the sheer disgust, or perhaps the reassurance of Zhao Yunzhong’s swift and decisive ghost-exorcising methods, but Zhang Hanchi remained remarkably quiet for the rest of the journey.

For the subsequent four ghosts, Zhao Yunzhong didn’t even bother making eye contact. He simply opened the door, tossed a button, and closed the door, all in one seamless motion.

Zhang Hanchi even suspected that Zhao Yunzhong had deliberately let him see the first ghost. That guy is truly devious, he thought.

In less than five minutes, the two men reached the staircase leading to the rooftop on the fifth floor.

Silence. They stood at the stairwell, silent for a full two minutes.

“Aren’t we going up?” Zhang Hanchi finally asked.

“The Ghost Detector shows nothing,” Zhao Yunzhong stated.

Zhang Hanchi held out a hand. “Give me a cigarette.”

Zhao Yunzhong pulled out his cigarette pack, finding exactly two left. They each lit one.

“But earlier, from outside the building, it didn’t show anything inside either, did it?” Zhang Hanchi took a drag, his gaze drifting towards the iron door leading to the rooftop before returning to Zhao Yunzhong.

Zhao Yunzhong exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice even. “If the Ghost Detector shows nothing, then there’s nothing.”

“But this thing can adjust its detection range, right?” Zhang Hanchi casually remarked.

“Do you think I tampered with it?” Zhao Yunzhong remained unfazed by Zhang Hanchi’s suspicion. He then continued, “Even if she truly became a ghost, what could you do if you saw her?”

“I…” Zhang Hanchi was speechless, then snapped back, a hint of anger in his voice. “What about you? Didn’t you want to see her? Chuanbei Middle School also has an abandoned experimental building with ghost rumors. Why didn’t you investigate there first? It’s even closer to the school gate.”

“What good would seeing her do? Twenty years ago, I lacked the courage… and besides, she’s already dead…” Zhao Yunzhong sighed. “I didn’t tamper with anything. From the moment we entered this building, the detection range included the rooftop. If there’s nothing, there’s nothing! Initially, I was a little disappointed, but later I felt more relieved. I didn’t want her to become a ghost. You saw what a ghost looks like just now. The more tragic her death, the more horrifying her ghostly appearance would be.”

The memory stirred Zhang Hanchi, and his stomach churned once more.

“Moreover, if she became a ghost after death, her resentment would linger. Her consciousness would forever be trapped in the moment of her demise, suffering endless torment. Seeing living people would only ignite her resentment, causing her to lash out wildly at anyone.”

“Let’s go. Let her remain as the beautiful image in our memories.” Zhao Yunzhong also cast a glance at the rooftop door.

“If,” Zhang Hanchi suddenly asked just before they left, “and I mean if, she really did become a ghost, would you…?”

Zhao Yunzhong paused for a moment, then answered firmly, “I would!”

This was also the reason for his relief. Ghosts are ghosts, and people are people. Furthermore, he was an Anomaly Investigator, an Anomaly Investigator who protected humanity and eliminated malevolent spirits!

If she hadn’t become a ghost, he wouldn’t have to oppose her. This was the best outcome he could have imagined.

Zhang Hanchi also sighed, then slammed his fist against the wall, cursing, “That bastard!”

Zhao Yunzhong knew who Zhang Hanchi was cursing. He said, “Actually, I’ve had some thoughts about her death.”

“Oh? You have a lead?” Zhang Hanchi asked, surprised.

Zhao Yunzhong shook his head. “Not a lead, just some thoughts. Her death was too strange.”

“Are you saying…” Zhang Hanchi began to speak, when suddenly, a chilling gust of wind swept through the quiet stairwell.

“Clang!”

The rooftop door burst open.