Chapter 284 - 166: Case Filed: The Ghost Messenger Case

Dark figures crawled on the ground, bound by cold chains, moving on all fours.

They seemed to be strung together.

Their nostrils were pierced and threaded with chains, like cattle, held by several figures up ahead.

They were like... a centipede.

"RUMBLE~!"

A clap of muffled thunder suddenly rolled through the clouds.

In an instant, the entire world was cloaked in a ghastly white, briefly lit up.

And in that brief moment, the chained, dark figures came into sharp focus.

These were not dogs.

They were... people!

Five or six of them, completely naked!

Stark naked in the frigid weather, drenched by the rain, the bone-chilling wind scraping against them. In the dead of night, they were led on, crawling across the ground...

The flash of lightning disappeared.

The figures faded back into the night, becoming indistinct, squirming shadows once more.

This was...

"What the hell is that!?"

Wang Chao’s pupils contracted violently. Utterly terrified, he pressed his back against the wall and hid.

’People? Ghosts?’

’A hallucination? Am I still dreaming?’

’No, that’s not right...’

His mind was a maelstrom, a complex and tangled mess of information.

Wang Chao fought to control his emotions and peeked out for another look.

Only to see...

The dark figures, who had been crawling naked on the ground...

Were now hanging.

Motionless. They were suspended by chains in the middle of the road, completely still.

The five or six figures hung like silkworm cocoons.

Like a carousel at an amusement park, they were hung from some strange apparatus, slowly rotating in the wind.

"Ooooh~"

The sound of the flute played on.

The figures continued to walk silently into the distance.

They walked toward the moon and, after a moment, vanished into the darkness.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"What the hell was that!?"

Wang Chao gasped for air, his eyes wide and pupils trembling.

But experience told him the best course of action.

He didn’t go to the intersection for a closer look at the so-called ’carousel’.

Nor did he chase after the figures into the darkness.

Wang Chao took out his phone.

He was just about to call the police, but the next second...

"CHITTER CHITTER CHITTER~"

Wang Chao froze. His ears twitched. He instinctively glanced around but saw nothing.

"CHITTER CHITTER CHITTER~"

The sound continued, like a mocking laugh.

Wang Chao’s body went rigid. He whipped his head from side to side, but still saw nothing.

Until...

"CRACK~!!!"

Thunder rolled through the thick clouds, and the world was once again bleached white by a sudden flash.

A shadow appeared at Wang Chao’s feet.

Wang Chao froze. He raised his head, slowly looking up.

A smiling face appeared before his eyes.

It was...

A monkey.

It clung to the overhang above him, a disturbingly human-like smile on its face as it stared straight at Wang Chao.

The next moment...

A cloth was pressed over Wang Chao’s face, and he instantly passed out, slumping into the corner.

And the world plunged back into darkness.

The monkey, now just a dark shadow, scrambled up a tall building and vanished into the distance.

It moved in the direction of the flute music.

The street...

...fell silent once more.

Darkness and silence enveloped the city.

All that remained were the dark figures suspended in the middle of the road, slowly spinning.

"WHOOSH~"

The cold wind howled.

The suspended bodies rotated slowly, like carousel horses.

They were like...

Wind chimes?

That’s right, wind chimes.

In a deathly silent city that seemed devoid of people, a wind chime made of human bodies...

...spun slowly in the middle of the dark road.

...

...

"RUMBLE~!"

A clap of thunder echoed.

At home, on Torch Road.

Xu Huo shot bolt upright in his bedroom, momentarily disoriented.

A mechanical voice sounded in his ear.

[Congratulations, Host. You have triggered a mission...]

[(Incomplete)]

[Rewards are divided into four tiers: 25% Immersion, 50% Immersion, 75% Immersion, and 100% Immersion.]

[Composition Time: Fourteen days.]

[Penalty for Failure: Forfeiture of this mission’s reward.]

Xu Huo fell silent. He scanned his quiet bedroom.

After a moment, he got up, walked to the window, and silently watched the light rain falling outside.

Xu Huo was lost in deep thought.

[Case Name: ’The Ghost Messenger Case’!]

[Note: Have you ever heard of Ghost Messengers?]

[Note: The legendary Ghost Messengers have appeared in Jiangsan City. They reap the souls of those fated to die and lead them along the roads to the Underworld...]

Xu Huo sank into thought.

After a long while, he finally uttered a single syllable.

"Tsk."

...

...

January 3rd.

7:30 in the morning.

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

"AHHHHH!!!!"

"Chief! Chief, save me!"

On Qianjin Road, a shriek like a stuck pig rang out.

Xu Huo shoved away the blubbering, tear-streaked face that was getting too close.

"Scram."

Xu Huo uttered a single word coolly, then turned his attention to the scene before him.

The area had already been cordoned off. It was surrounded by black-and-yellow police tape and the flashing red and blue lights of patrol cars.

Xu Huo fixed his gaze on the center of the scene.

There...

Five people were hanging.

Hanging there were five naked men. Like a wind chime, their feet dangled in the air.

Xu Huo’s brow furrowed. He looked down at the blood dripping onto the ground and the cold chains.

’This case is called... the Ghost... Messenger?’

’This...’

’What the hell is going on!?’

...

...

(The Ghost Messenger Case)

[(Case Established!)]