“Chapter 17”

"Chapter 17"

"From Now On, You Are Roommates"

"[Side Quest Reward: Xiao Jiejie's Secret]"

"[A colleague photoshopped my face onto indecent images. When I confronted him, he threatened to share them in the company group. I said they were fake, but he claimed people don’t care about the truth, they just enjoy the spectacle.]"

[As long as I became his girlfriend, he would delete the photos. I didn't want trouble, so I agreed. Once the photos were deleted, I broke up with him.]

Although it was Xiao Jiejie's narrative, the voiceover used was still the emotionless, synthesized mechanical voice.

[He wanted me to sleep with him, I didn't agree, and he started threatening me again. This time I didn't give in; I went to the police. The officer who helped me was very kind; she solved my problem, and that colleague lost his job, which felt good.]

[Months later, I received a call from my parents, scolding me for being disgraceful. They raised me with so much effort, and here I was, being accused of prostitution. In revenge, the colleague had distributed photoshopped pictures of me in my hometown. The elders in the village didn't understand face-swapping technology, but they had mouths, able to utterly destroy my parents' dignity.]

[I begged him to clear my name. I cried so loudly, but he just kept laughing. I hated him. He said the police could catch him, but could they stop other people's mouths? Would people believe the police over gossip? He kept laughing, it was so annoying! I hated him! What did I do wrong to deserve this? Stop laughing, it's so annoying!!!]

[I chopped his head with a kitchen knife, once, twice, thrice… His head split open like a watermelon, oozing out so much fluid, and the world finally fell silent.]

Despite the lack of emotion in the synthetic voice, Cen Sheng felt a heaviness in his chest, not expecting Xiao Jiejie to have endured such agony.

Those who drove Xiao Jiejie to desperation were not just that

Some people don't care about the truth; they just want gossip. The pain and disgrace of others are like seeds in their hands, the best snack to accompany their drinks.

Due to his profession, Cen Sheng had been the subject of many rumors. He was accused of indecency, pedophilia, fabricating cases, and being homosexual.

Oh, the last one isn't a rumor; he is indeed gay.

Cen Sheng and Rong Ye have similar personalities, both being proud and arrogant, but Cen Sheng is better at disguising it.

He looks down on those people and doesn't bother with what they say. With Rong Ye, his vengeful and protective partner, he doesn’t need to worry about anything.

He doesn't care, but Xiao Jiejie does. He has someone to protect him, Xiao Jiejie doesn't.

Cen Sheng doesn't agree with Xiao Jiejie's actions, but he understands her despair and helplessness.

————

After losing control and killing, Xiao Jiejie dismembered her colleague and stuffed the parts into a fridge, cleaning all the bloodstains in her rental.

When the colleague went missing, the police found her. Xiao Jiejie fooled them once, but they started to suspect her.

At her wit's end, a door suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the bathroom wall of her rental.

A voice in her head kept urging her to push the door. Xiao Jiejie opened it and found another bedroom behind it.

A man claiming to be the landlord told her that from that day on, she was the new resident of room 404. She no longer had to worry about the police; she was safe.

Cen Sheng never imagined that was how Xiao Jiejie moved into Yinhe Community.

But this also explains why Rong Ye suddenly disappeared

He might have seen a door appearing out of nowhere, just like Xiao Jiejie did.

Rong Ye is impulsive and very curious.

He wouldn't need any external force to make him sprint a hundred meters to open the door. He'd even curse at anyone trying to beat him to it.

Just imagining that scene gives Cen Sheng a headache.

No wonder Rong Ye didn't bring any identification and managed to get from the southern science and technology new city to the northern industrial old city.

Cen Sheng tried calling out to Rong Ye, wanting to ask if he had entered a door before disappearing.

There was no response; the ghost man was too weak and still resting.

Cen Sheng's eyes reddened slightly, Rong Ye was so worrisome, making him feel both angry and heartbroken.

————

Xiao Jiejie's secrets were lengthy, and she wanted to share everything she knew with Cen Sheng.

Probably because a police officer had told her before that explaining things clearly when reporting a crime would help the police assist her better.

Cen Sheng, being a detective, is similar to a police officer; presumably, the principle is the same.

Xiao Jiejie gave her colleague's corpse to the landlord as her rent for half a year. For some reason, the police stopped suspecting her, and she continued her job at a new place close to the community.

It took her more than half a month to realize there were ghosts in the community. By then, she was trapped in Yinhe Community, unable to leave, and her calls to the police were futile.

Xiao Jiejie's mental state began to crumble, and she could only seek help online. In a mutual aid post, she found several girls with similar experiences; they bonded over the internet for comfort.

Life had not been kind to Xiao Jiejie. She had not yet recovered from her previous nightmare when she fell into a new abyss

[The landlord imprisoned a man in an empty bedroom. I was too afraid of the landlord to help him. One night, the female ghost, who had never left the wardrobe, suddenly crawled out. She wanted to kill me, and I was terrified! All I could do was hold onto the statue of the goddess.]

[Just then, a woman's voice sounded in my ear. She said she could save me if I put down the statue. Despite Rong Ye's shouts telling me not to trust her, I chose to cooperate with her. I didn't want to be torn apart by the ghost, I was so scared.]

[Someone entered my body, gnawing at my soul, and the pain knocked me unconscious. When I woke up again, the female ghost had replaced me. I watched her chat with my friends, using my identity to lead them to their deaths.]

[She's taking over my living space, and I'm growing weaker and weaker. I'm dying. Tonight at midnight is the last deadline. I can't make a sound, save me, save me, I don't want to die, I don't want to hurt them...]

The narration ended abruptly.

Cen Sheng felt a mix of emotions, remaining silent for a while before taking a deep breath, "I will, I've already accepted your request, I'll do everything I can to help you."

————

In the living room, Xiao Jiejie and Ji Meng were scuffling.

With Xiao Jiejie's soul present, the malevolent ghost occupying her body couldn't exert her full strength, allowing Ji Meng to suppress her.

The glasses-wearing woman and the female teacher who had previously run into the bedroom came out, clutching the statue of the Holy Mother Tongming Xian and carrying a water gun under their arm.

They still hadn't realized that the water gun didn't contain real black dog blood.

Dou Li, who originally disliked Cen Sheng the most, was now exerting all her strength to move the table, trying to free him.

Cen Sheng poked his head out from the gap in the entryway cabinet, "What time is it now?"

Dou Li, panting heavily, replied, "11:43."

"We need to hurry. You two, stop worrying about the statue for now, come and help!"

Afraid they didn't understand the severity of the situation, Cen Sheng explained, "Xiao Jiejie is possessed by a ghost. Right now, the female ghost hasn't fully merged with her body, so she's easier to deal with. At midnight, Xiao Jiejie's soul will die, and the ghost will completely take over her body!"

Seeing that they didn't react quickly enough, Cen Sheng banged hard on the cabinet. He used force and loud noise to exert psychological pressure on them.

"The female ghost possessing Xiao Jiejie has deceived you all. There's no midnight ritual! She's just dragging it out to midnight to exhaust Xiao Jiejie's soul and fully merge with her body. Once past midnight, with her strength restored, she'll go on a rampage!"

"She pushed me out for the sacrifice to deal with me, a potential threat, and to sow discord among you, diverting your attention. Everything she's done is to buy time!"

Xiao Jiejie, whose plan was exposed by Cen Sheng and who had been suppressed by Ji Meng, suddenly broke free and dashed towards the sofa.

Cen Sheng immediately realized her intention, "Now, only the Goddess statue can restrain the fierce ghost. We can't let her destroy it!"

Xiao Jiejie's eyes turned blood-red, emitting an angry growl from her throat.

The female teacher, terrified but quick to react, grabbed the illuminated statue of the Holy Mother from the sofa and turned to run towards the bedroom.

Xiao Jiejie grabbed her ponytail in one hand and stabbed towards her back with a fruit knife in the other.

Before the tip of the knife could touch the teacher's clothes, the bespectacled woman ran over and bit Xiao Jiejie's hand.

Ji Meng raised a stool and furiously smashed it towards Xiao Jiejie.

Being mindful that it was her friend's body, she refrained from aiming at the head, fearing she might kill Xiao Jiejie.

Seeing her long-prepared plan falling apart, Xiao Jiejie's expression twisted even more.

She screamed madly, flailing the fruit knife at the three women, "I've already entered Xiao Jiejie's body. Even if you catch me, what can you do? That worthless statue is useless. It didn't react even when I stood in front of it! If you dare, try to drive me out of her body, come on! Come at me!!!"

Her words reminded them that they didn't know how to deal with a ghost

While urging Dou Li to quickly clear the obstacles, Cen Sheng shouted to the others, "Don't panic, I know how to deal with a ghost possession! Hold her down and leave the rest to me!"

No one doubted Cen Sheng's words; the four women now had a lot of trust in him.

The female teacher thoughtfully considered the possibility of the malevolent ghost abandoning Xiao Jiejie's body and possessing someone else. She held the statue the entire time, ensuring it faced Xiao Jiejie.

She tried to use the Goddess statue to subdue the evil spirit, deterring it from leaving the living body.

Ji Meng snatched the fruit knife from Xiao Jiejie and firmly wrapped her arms around her waist. The bespectacled woman, unable to find a rope, tore off a shoelace to tie up her hands.

Cen Sheng banged on the wardrobe and yelled, "There are handcuffs in my suitcase!"

By the time the bespectacled woman found the handcuffs, Dou Li had also moved the items behind the cabinet.

Cen Sheng, supporting the security door, positioned himself and kicked the wardrobe with force. Rong Ye, after a few minutes of rest, silently came out to help him.

Together, they knocked down the solid, old-fashioned wardrobe. It crashed to the floor with a loud bang, seemingly causing the floor of the living room to tremble.

The commotion they created was so loud that the urgent thudding sounds in the corridor resumed, attracting the Fortune monster to the security door.

First, the cabinet doors were smashed several times by Cen Sheng, and now the entire wardrobe was kicked down.

As a female ghost, being chained inside a wardrobe was humiliating enough, but now she faced further disgrace. The ghost inside the wardrobe furiously scratched at the doors, making a loud banging noise.

Cen Sheng, paying no attention to her, stepped over the wardrobe and ran into the living room. He took the handcuffs from the bespectacled woman and swiftly cuffed Xiao Jiejie's wrists.

He kicked behind Xiao Jiejie's knees, forcing her to kneel on the ground.

"What time is

Dou Li glanced at the time, "11:52 PM."

Having temporarily subdued Xiao Jiejie, the four of them relaxed a bit. They looked expectantly at Cen Sheng, waiting for him to expel the evil spirit from their friend's body.

"52 already?" Cen Sheng's brow furrowed, "No, there's not enough time."

Before they fully understood his intention, Cen Sheng dragged Xiao Jiejie to the door, as if dragging a dead dog.

"The exorcism ritual I learned takes 20 minutes. We don't have enough time now; I can't help you."

"There's already one ghost in the cabinet. If another one joins, all of us might die here tonight. You're a good girl; the only thing I can do is to prevent the fierce ghost from using your body to harm others."

The female ghost inside Xiao Jiejie didn't understand his meaning but had an ominous premonition. She struggled more violently, continuously cursing.

Cen Sheng pressed down on Xiao Jiejie with his right arm, pinning her against the wardrobe, while his uninjured left hand quickly worked on the padlock.

"This wardrobe trapped the ghost inside; it can surely trap the evil spirit inside you too. I checked the cabinet during the day; it's spacious enough for two ghosts."

"Here's what I'll do: I'll stuff you in the cabinet before midnight. With you blocking the cabinet door, the ghost inside can't get out. I'm sorry, Jiejie, this is the only way."

He pressed Xiao Jiejie's head to listen to the scratching sound inside, saying, "You two will be 'cabinet friends' from now on. Go on, say hello."

Female Ghost: ?

Author's Note:

I'm here!!! Thanks to the little angels who voted for me with tyrant tickets or nourished me with nutrient solutions from August 21, 2023, 17:33:04 to August 22, 2023, 21:03:06~

Thanks to the little angels who dropped landmines: Qin Qin Ken Ken 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solutions: Beautiful He 50 bottles; Ze Yan 20 bottles; Kong Kong, Jiang 10 bottles; Luo Ze 9 bottles; Mustard, Pink Leopard Loves Little Pink, Rong Rong Rong, Kao Bei, ω 1 bottle each;

I'm really grateful for everyone's support and I'll keep working hard!