My House of Horrors

Chapter 999: Everyone Is Missing Something

Tong Tong’s item of possession was a phone, and he was the only Specter that one could communicate with from a distance. At the time, Han Bao’er from the Ghost Stories Society had used this uniqueness and Gao Ru Xue as bait to lure Chen Ge out from his haunted house. But there was a weakness to Tong Tong. He was very weak, and his power would be seriously weakened in the day. It had big limitations, like his power not working in crowded places and being powerless when under direct sunlight.

It was in consideration of these things that Chen Ge had conducted an experiment the previous night and had Men Nan and Tong Tong possess the same phone. Being sheltered by a Red Specter, Tong Tong would not suffer so much in the day. As long as nothing happened to Men Nan, Tong Tong could use his power many times, but he would expend more energy than he would at night. With the protection from a Red Specter, Chen Ge was not that worried about Tong Tong’s safety. When discovered, Men Nan could escape with Tong Tong. There were so many people at the futuristic theme park; they could find any phone to hide in.

Jiang Ming had not realized the severity of the situation. He probably did not think that Chen Ge was a threat. Seeing Jiang Ming walk away, Chen Ge put away his phone. Tong Tong and Men Nan had left his phone. “Hopefully, they can find something useful.”

For Jiang Jiu to have survived so long, he must be an old fox. To get anything from him would be difficult, so the only method was to find opening through people around him. Collecting information was one of Chen Ge’s plans, but there was another mission he had given Tong Tong and Men Nan. When the day darkened, he would repeat the same thing that the Ghost Stories Society had done to him on Jiang Ming. After dealing with the things there, Chen Ge rushed toward Pei Zhi Academy in Western Academy. Before entering the school, he found a corner and flipped through the comic to communicate with the drowned boy.

“After I enter the school, notify me if you see the child.” He wandered about at the gates for a while. Before he got in, a young woman about twenty came toward him. “Hello, how I can help you?”

Chen Ge looked into the school. There were children playing on the field. He hesitated before saying, “There have been issues at my relative’s house recently. Their child has been sent to an orphanage. The child is a bit quiet, he doesn’t like to communicate with others, and his condition is getting worse. I’m afraid his life will be ruined if this continues, so I wish to bring him here to get an education.”

“Our school accepts students with mental handicaps and other problems. If the condition is that serious, you should bring him here.” The woman was kind. “We are a private institution, so the fee might be a bit expensive. However, we design a special teaching plan that will be tailored specifically to each child.”

“The fee will be expensive?” Chen Ge’s lips turned down, and his hands twisted together. He thought for a long time before saying, “Can I please go in to take a look at how the classes are conducted normally first?”

“Of course. All our staff here are professional, and you’ll find the atmosphere very conducive for study.” The teacher invited Chen Ge into the school. On the field, the teachers were playing games with the children. They were simple games. The main purpose was for the children to communicate with others. Past the field was the education block. The wall had a motto written on—’every child deserves an education’. The classrooms were bright and filled with sunlight. They looked clean and neat.

“Our school focuses on three main criteria: development of intelligence, societal assimilation, and practical living. Based on the condition of each child, we have set up twelve different types of classes,” the teacher explained patiently to Chen Ge, and the latter listened patiently.

Initially, he was there to find the candidate selected by the ghost fetus, but when he was there, he suddenly felt touched. This world was unfair and cruel to these children, but even so, they were trying their best. Their smiles under the sun were beautiful. Chen Ge looked at the children in the classrooms.

Will the ghost fetus be among them?

After they reached the last classroom, there was a wetness that came from Chen Ge’s hand that grabbed his backpack. He lowered his lead to look and saw a bloody palm.

The child is here?

Before anyone noticed, Chen Ge quickly wiped his hand clean. He did not expect the drowned boy’s hint to be so obvious.

“Can I go in to take a look?” Chen Ge scanned the classroom. Chen Ge pointed at the last row. The other children were sitting around the teacher, but there was a child who stood at the back of the class with his bag. “Why is that boy standing over there?”

Seeing Chen Ge walk in, the teacher in the class answered his question. “Wu Sheng hit some other students during class, so I gave him time out as punishment. We have to give him a correct understanding of right and wrong since they are young, letting them know that there are consequences for doing bad things.”

“His name is Wu Sheng?” Chen Ge walked up to the boy, and when he was next to the boy, his hand that held the backpack started to bleed again. It shocked Chen Ge so much that he quickly clamped them before his chest. The teacher and other students did not see it, but the boy who stood before him saw it clearly.

“Well, looks like we’ve found him.” Chen Ge wiped the blood from his palm. He squatted before the boy as the female teacher walked over.

“Since his birth, the child hasn’t said a complete sentence. He dislikes being with others, and it has escalated to full refusal to communicate with others.” The teacher signaled for Chen Ge to move away from the boy. “Wu Sheng’s father is a wandering singer. He is not a bad person. Initially, he thought that it was because he gave the child a bad name that he refused to speak, so he changed the boy’s name to Wu Yousheng[1] and then Wu Busheng[2], thinking perhaps two wrongs made a right, but in the end, it was the name Wu Sheng[3] that stuck.”

“Wu Sheng’s situation is similar to my relative’s child. Can I chat with him?”

“I’m afraid not. We have a responsibility toward the children. Your careless words might injure their fragile hearts.”

“Then, can I talk with his family? After all, we’re in the same boat.”

“I can understand that.” The Mr. Handed Chen Ge Wu Sheng’s father’s number. They chatted for a while and Chen Ge left. Walking out from the school, Chen Ge called Wu Sheng’s father directly but there was no answer.

“Of the few confirmed kids, one has lost her memory, one has lost his hearing, one is mute. Other than myself, everyone has lost something important.” Chen Ge stood beside the road and studied the passing car. “Now that I think about it, if I am one of the nine children, then I should have lost something important to but the question is what? It is because I have lost my own shadow?”

[1] Wu Yousheng can also mean ‘Got Voice’.

[2] Wu Busheng can also mean ‘No Voice’.

[3] Wu Sheng can also mean ‘No Sound’.