The Icy Book and the Terrified Man

Chuanbei County, under the cloak of night, couldn’t rival the bustling main city with its dazzling lights.

Yet, barbecue stalls, evening beer stands, and other unique vendors steadily lined the streets, quickly filling the air with enticing aromas that made passersby practically salivate.

No city management officials would chase them away; this was the charm unique to this small mountain town.

The moment they stepped out of Chuanbei Middle School’s main gate, the night breeze carried the distinct aroma of charcoal-grilled meat.

Liu Yue, instantly invigorated, eagerly suggested, “Let’s go get some barbecue!”

“It’s getting late…” Xiao Yu glanced up at the sky, wishing to return home earlier.

“Brother~” Liu Yue turned her gaze to Liu Han.

Liu Han raised a hand, pretending to playfully tap Liu Yue’s head.

Liu Yue instinctively drew her neck back, only to hear Liu Han remark, “Your face is practically a perfect sphere, and you’re still so greedy!”

“I am not!” Liu Yue puffed out her cheeks, then grabbed Xiao Yu’s hand and walked off, completely ignoring her brother.

“Oh, you’re even rounder like that. What was it again? Ah, yes! An angry pufferfish!”

Liu Han quickly followed, still teasing his sister.

Liu Yue’s cheeks puffed out even further. She turned to glare at Liu Han, whose face was still wreathed in smiles.

Her lips moved repeatedly, yet for the moment, she couldn’t find a suitable retort.

Watching the siblings, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, Liu Yue, you’re just going to let him bully you like that?”

“Xiao Yu! You’re teasing me too!” Liu Yue exclaimed indignantly.

“At home, he wouldn’t dare speak to me like this!”

“Oh, my silly sister! You’re hardly convincing like that.”

Liu Han’s smile remained.

Seeing Liu Yue’s flustered expression and Liu Han’s infuriatingly smug smile, Xiao Yu suddenly chuckled.

“Let’s go!”

This time, it was Xiao Yu who pulled the fuming Liu Yue along.

Soon, a barbecue stall appeared ahead. Xiao Yu suddenly stopped.

“Barbecue, want some?”

“Huh?” Still cross, Liu Yue hadn’t quite heard her.

Xiao Yu blinked, then smiled. “Didn’t you say you wanted barbecue?”

“Yay!” Liu Yue instantly regained her cheerful spirits.

She tilted her head slightly towards Liu Han, who was following behind. “Brother! Money!”

“Alright, coming right up…”

As Liu Han approached, he pulled out some loose change and handed it to Liu Yue.

“Let’s go, Xiao Yu!”

Liu Yue’s mind was now entirely consumed by the thought of delicious food. She turned, ready to rush towards the barbecue stall, but instead, she suddenly collided with a man.

“Ouch!” Liu Yue bounced back, staggering slightly.

Though she didn’t fall, she quickly bowed her head in apology. “I’m so sorry! So sorry!”

“It’s fine.” The man’s voice was flat, treating it as a trivial matter. He continued to walk on, his head down.

Liu Han had already rushed to Liu Yue’s side, concerned for his sister.

The man brushed past Xiao Yu.

A soft thud.

Something hit the ground. The sound was incredibly faint, almost indistinguishable amidst the bustling street noise.

But the object landed right by Xiao Yu’s feet. There, she saw a small book with a black and red cover lying on the ground.

Instinctively, Xiao Yu pressed down her skirt and squatted, reaching out her hand…

The moment her fingertips brushed the small book, an icy chill spread from her digits throughout her entire body!

Xiao Yu shivered, retracting her arm.

At the same time, a pair of large hands picked up the black and red book.

Xiao Yu looked up, her gaze falling upon the man’s face.

It was the ordinary face of a middle-aged man, dressed in a simple brown hoodie.

Xiao Yu stood up, noticing that the man tucked the small book into his hoodie pocket.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on her face, unmoving.

Although the man’s eyes, aside from a fleeting flicker of surprise, were otherwise calm and unreadable, Xiao Yu still felt a prickle of unease.

“My apologies.” The man apologized calmly, then turned and walked away.

Xiao Yu, too, turned and rejoined Liu Han and his sister.

She recalled the book’s abnormal, icy coldness.

A strange book, a peculiar man…

“Xiao Yu, what do you want to eat?” Liu Yue asked Xiao Yu excitedly.

“Anything. Let’s go see what they have.” Xiao Yu replied distractedly.

Strange… she couldn’t recall the man’s appearance at all now.

Chuanbei County, Tiannan Road No. 21, Police Station.

Off-duty officers gradually left, leaving only a few on duty.

Just then, a middle-aged man, his face a mask of panic, rushed to the entrance of the police station.

“Mr. Chen?” The young officer on duty, possessing sharp eyesight, had spotted the man through the guardhouse window.

He had already opened the window and was about to lean out to inquire when the middle-aged man outside impatiently bellowed, “Quick! Open the door! I need to report a crime! I need to report a crime! What are you dawdling for!?”

“All right, Mr. Chen, please wait a moment.”

Though the middle-aged man’s unpleasant attitude was irritating, the young officer still unlocked the gate.

The middle-aged man rushed into the police hall without looking back.

“That lunatic!” the young officer couldn’t help but mutter.

Meanwhile, inside the police hall, several other officers also noticed the middle-aged man bursting through the doors.

“Mr. Chen, please take a seat here first, have some water, calm down, and then we can talk properly, alright?”

A middle-aged officer, clearly experienced, pointed to the sofa in the hall, guiding Mr. Chen to sit.

Mr. Chen, with his disheveled hair and unkempt appearance, showed no gratitude.

Instead, he grabbed the middle-aged officer and urgently declared, “No, no! Officer Wang! There’s no time! No time! I don’t have time for your nonsense!”

His originally narrow eyes were now wide open, bloodshot and frantic. His eye bags were grayish-red and swollen, suggesting he hadn’t slept properly in ages.

Clearly not in a rational state, he loudly commanded, “You! You need to dispatch officers immediately! Go to my house and catch that thing! Hurry!”

“Mr. Chen!” Before Officer Wang could speak, an officer behind him, unable to tolerate it any longer, roared, “This is not a place for your senseless antics!”

“Mr. Chen, please don’t get agitated. Sit down, have some water, and we’ll talk slowly. We’ll do our best to help you with any problem, alright?”

Officer Wang waved his hand, stopping the officer behind him who had already pulled out handcuffs. He continued to try and soothe Mr. Chen, hoping to calm him down.

“You simply don’t understand!”

Mr. Chen backed away until he reached the sofa, where he abruptly sat down. Then, without even removing his shoes, he buried his head in his hands, curling into a tight ball and pressing himself against the corner of the sofa.

It seemed that only by doing so could he find a sliver of security.

“They don’t understand… none of them understand…” he kept muttering, his voice trembling.

Seeing that Mr. Chen had, for the moment, somewhat calmed down, Officer Wang’s expression relaxed slightly.

He prepared to approach for further discussion.

The officer behind him tugged at Officer Wang’s arm and whispered, “Old Wang, do you still believe this madman? He’s been here seven times this month, each time claiming there’s an extra person in his house.

“We’ve sent people to investigate, and all we found was him and, at best, a half-person inflatable doll! I think he belongs in a hospital, not a police station!”

Officer Wang nodded, yet still walked to the sofa. He gently sat beside Mr. Chen, offering him a cup of water.

“Mr. Chen,” he said as gently as possible, “have some water, calm down, and tell us your situation truthfully. Only then can we begin a proper investigation. You know, we’ve been to your house several times, but we haven’t caught the person you described. They are indeed cunning…

“But you needn’t be afraid. As long as you provide us with more detailed and accurate information, we will surely apprehend them!”

Officer Wang’s words were confident and resolute, imbued with an inherent righteousness that inspired trust and reassurance.

Finally, Mr. Chen slowly raised his head. With a strained smile, he took the paper cup.

But just as he was about to drink, his gaze naturally fell upon the gently rippling surface of the water inside the cup…

Everyone in the police hall watched as Mr. Chen’s eyes suddenly widened, becoming perfectly round.

His bloodshot pupils darted wildly, restless and agitated.

The next moment, he violently hurled the water cup away.

Water droplets scattered, shimmering with a cold light under the fluorescent lamps.

“She’s here! She’s here! Ahhh!” Mr. Chen shrieked in terror, his mouth agape.

His facial muscles were stretched taut, his expression grotesquely distorted.

His screams echoed relentlessly through the police office, the palpable fear within them assaulting everyone’s eardrums.

A few water droplets clung to Officer Wang’s resolute face, now slowly tracing paths down his cheeks.

The water droplets were warm.

But a chill ran down his spine.