Chapter 283 - 166: Case Opened! [Ghost Messenger File!]

"Xiao Bai and the others have arrived in Jiangsan City, too. Wang Chao is arranging their jobs and a place to live."

"Arranging jobs?"

Xu Huo thought for a moment. ’There shouldn’t be any problems.’

"Okay, then it should be fine."

"I trust him."

...

「Meanwhile, in Jiangsan City, at a shop under renovation not far from the police station.」

The ear-splitting noise of construction was accompanied by another sound.

The sound of a girl crying.

"WAAAAAAH~!"

Wang Chao looked at the porcelain doll of a girl in front of him, blinked, and poked her face again.

"WAAAH!!!"

Xiao Bai burst into even louder sobs. But she didn’t run away. She just stood there, head held high, and cried right at Wang Chao.

"Don’t cry, don’t cry."

Wang Chao squished Xiao Bai’s cheeks with both hands, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside him at how soft they felt.

Xiao Bai’s face was squished out of shape, but that didn’t stop her from crying in the slightest.

"Amitabha Buddha," said Du’e from beside him, an embarrassed look on his face. "Donor Wang, Xiao Bai is very shy around strangers. Now that she can see clearly, she’s still having a hard time adjusting."

Xiao Bai was the little girl from Linlan City who had been blind.

Having lived her life in darkness, she was sensitive to the world around her, and she was the one most prone to tears among the children.

"Stop crying."

After a moment’s thought, Wang Chao took out a lollipop and stuck it in her mouth.

Xiao Bai instantly stopped crying. She began to eat the candy quietly, a look of contentment spreading across her face.

’So this is what a fragile human child is like!’

’Completely different from an adult human specimen like me, a man of great ambition!’

Wang Chao looked at Du’e.

"Xiao Bai’s follow-up treatments will be at Jiangsan City’s Second Hospital. Contact me if you run into any issues."

"Thank you." Du’e sighed. "You and Mr. Xu are both truly blessed individuals."

"Blessed individuals?"

"Me?"

Wang Chao looked confused but didn’t dwell on it.

’That’s right! I *am* a blessed individual!’

"As for the work arrangements... you can be the manager of the branch store for now. You should be able to start before the end of the year."

"I’ve also arranged jobs for Xiao Long and Xiao Hu. And now that Xiao Bai’s eyes are better, I’m planning on enrolling her and Niuniu in school..."

Wang Chao rattled on.

He then took Du’e inside the branch store and explained the job requirements in detail.

Normally, the biggest fear for a chain store is the manager skimming off the top.

But Wang Chao wasn’t worried.

He didn’t think Du’e was the kind of person who would do something like that.

That evening, he took the fragile human children out for another meal.

Once he had them all settled in their rooms, Wang Chao finally prepared to head back.

"It’s half past ten. Be careful on your way, Donor Wang."

"No need to see me out. Go on back and get some sleep. It’s late."

Wang Chao waved his hand and yawned.

With that, he turned and walked off into the night.

Du’e, still clad in his tattered kasaya, returned inside.

10:40 PM.

Jiangsan City was shrouded in darkness. The streets were deserted, and everyone was asleep...

A wet patch appeared on the ground.

Then another.

And then countless more.

It started to rain.

...

"Damn it! I’m supposed to be a blessed individual, so why the hell am I getting rained on!?"

On a street so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, a shadowy figure hurried under the eaves of a nearby building, cursing at the scene before him.

"SWISH~"

A gust of frigid wind blasted raindrops against Wang Chao’s face, and a biting chill seeped down his collar.

The hair on his arms stood on end, and goosebumps erupted across his skin.

’At least it’s just a light rain.’

Wang Chao, dressed in a down jacket, hugged his arms to his chest, braving the cold wind.

He thought for a moment, then found a corner to shelter from the rain.

’A light rain like this won’t last long.’

As for running home through the rain...

Getting soaked in this January weather... Wang Chao valued his life; he had no death wish.

He curled up in the corner, quietly waiting for the rain to stop.

At the same time, he found himself thinking how great it would be if, in the future, there was an app where you could order a ride with your phone, anytime and anywhere.

As he mused on this, his mind began to spin with ideas on how to perfect the system and what kind of model it would run on.

A moment later.

Wang Chao’s consciousness began to fade as he drifted into a drowsy, hazy dream.

He curled his body into a tight ball, trying to conserve his body heat.

Until...

"Wooooo~"

A sound drifted to his ears.

The sound was like a howling gale, like the wind whipping into a tornado.

Wang Chao stirred, the cold sting of raindrops on his face sharpening his senses.

"What’s that sound?"

He yawned, his eyes still heavy with sleep.

Then, he fell silent, straining his ears to listen.

"Wooooooooooooo~"

Is that...

’Crying?’

Puzzled, Wang Chao looked around.

Everything was shrouded in a deathly silence. It was pitch-black; he couldn’t see a thing. Objects just three meters away were nothing but blurry, indistinct shadows.

’No, that’s not crying.’

’Then what is it?’

Confused, Wang Chao thought for a moment before getting up to investigate.

The rain was still coming down, but he paid it no mind. Wang Chao strained his eyes, trying to see through the gloom.

He reached a corner and was about to look around when...

The next second.

Wang Chao froze.

"Wooooo~"

It was the sound of a flute. Wisps of music drifted through the air, echoing down the street like a restless spirit.

On the dark and desolate road, a procession of black shadows appeared.

The shadows were twisted and contorted. Some looked like gorillas, others like monkeys. Some crawled on all fours, while others walked upright.

Countless shadows formed a long procession. The blurry figure at the very front held a flute, playing a hoarse, grating melody that sounded like it was coming from a ruined throat.

They didn’t speak. They just walked.

At the rear of the procession, several more shadows were being dragged along.