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墨書 Inktalez
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. In just a few seconds, the sound of "tap tap" like a cane hitting the ground in the yard suddenly transformed into a loud "bang bang" as if someone was trying to break down the door.
The house had two wooden doors that opened outward, secured by a latch when closed. The connection between the two doors was not very sturdy, and with the impact, the latch bounced up and down as if something outside was trying to burst through the wooden barrier.
Several people were at a loss for what to do. At that moment, Yuan Jun had already rolled off the bed and swiftly moved to stand behind the door, his movements light and almost silent. It dawned on everyone that Yuan Jun had not been asleep from the very beginning.
Yuan Jun was like a leopard lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The noise grew louder.
"What on earth is out there?"
Inside, it was as dark as outside; even with a hint of moonlight, nothing could be seen beyond the door. But judging by the force of the pushing, something must be out there.
"Don't act rashly!" Old Shao spoke up. "We just heard a wolf howl; it's very likely that wolves from the mountains have come down. Where's the flashlight? Yuan Jun, take a look outside through the glass."
Yuan Jun nodded and retrieved a flashlight from his backpack leaning against the wall. He gently twisted it on, holding it with one hand while pressing down on it. The light filtered through his palm, turning it red and casting a crimson spot on the ground.
Instead of shining the light directly outside, Yuan Jun used this faint glow to peer out. He feared that shining too brightly might scare whatever was out there away. In his mind, he didn’t believe in ghosts; if there was anything, it would be some wild beast.
And in such darkness, any creature would surely be afraid of light.
Using this red spot as a guide, Yuan Jun looked out through the window towards the door. In his imagination, he expected to see someone standing at the entrance or perhaps some large beast. However, as he continued to peer through the faint glow, he found nothing but emptiness outside.
This exceeded Yuan Jun's expectations. He released his grip on the flashlight, which emitted a strong beam of light that pierced through the glass and illuminated the doorway. The entrance was brightened up completely, yet there was nothing outside.
"What is it?" Jiang He asked.
At that moment, it was Yuan Jun who wore an expression of surprise. To him, regardless of what it was outside, there had to be something there; otherwise, it couldn't possibly make such a loud banging noise against the wooden door. But when he shone the powerful flashlight over there, he found nothing at all. Yuan Jun had never encountered anything like this before—could it be that ghosts really existed in this world?
"There's nothing, absolutely nothing," Yuan Jun replied.
At that moment, Jiang He also jumped out of bed. As he walked towards the door, he said, "There are no ghosts in this world. If they really exist, I hope I'm the first to see one."
Now, Jiang He was standing at the door.
Everyone knew that Jiang He was about to open it.
All held their breath.
They were afraid of what might be outside when Jiang He opened the door, but they were equally afraid that there would be nothing at all. This conflicting feeling made several of them uneasy, and all three tightened their grips on their daggers; no matter what awaited them outside, they had to face it.
Jiang He unlatched the door and pulled it open.
Without hiding or avoiding, Jiang He stood at the threshold, but there was nothing outside.
He stepped out of the house and looked around the yard; it was vast and empty.
"There's nothing here," Jiang He said.
Yuan Jun was the first to follow him out. He shone his flashlight around the yard, still finding nothing.
Jiang He grabbed Yuan Jun's hand and said, "Shine it on the ground and see if there are any footprints."
Yuan Jun frowned but complied. Yet again, there was nothing; he helped Jiang He illuminate the ground ahead.
Jiang He crouched at the doorway, inching closer to the ground to examine whether any footprints had been left behind. Indeed, there were quite a few marks on the ground. Jiang He scrutinized them carefully, comparing them in his mind. All these footprints belonged to their group, scattered and numerous throughout the yard.
Even so, Jiang He noticed that there were no footprints.
To be precise, the thing that had slammed against the door left no traces.
On this kind of ground, even a feather falling would leave an imprint. If this thing had no footprints, then there was only one possible explanation: it had no feet.
"Do you know what it is?" Old Shao asked from behind Jiang He.
"I don't know," Jiang He replied. "There are no footprints."
Yuan Jun, having heard Jiang He's words, said, "Not only does this thing lack footprints, it also has no body. It seems to be nothing at all. Just now, I shone my flashlight around and there was absolutely nothing at the entrance. In such a short time, even if something were there, it wouldn't have vanished so quickly."
Jiang He nodded and said, "The courtyard door hasn't opened or closed since we went to sleep. This door makes a loud noise even when opened gently. Years of sun and rain have rusted the hinges, which means this thing didn't come through the door."
Yuan Jun directed his flashlight toward the door. The latch was still in place, and the rust made opening it difficult. It would only be possible to pull it open by shaking the latch up and down, but that would undoubtedly create a loud noise.
Old Shao walked over to the nearby house and knocked on the glass. "Xu Yiman, how are you doing?"
Xu Yiman ran out of the house. She and Qiuju Niu had heard the sound earlier but hadn't dared to come out. Xu Yiman had never believed in ghosts, but the inexplicable noise made her realize that whether it was a person or a ghost, it was something to be feared.
At that moment, Qiuju Niu was gripping Xu Yiman's arm tightly, trembling with fear.
"Ghost knocking on the door! Ghost knocking on the door!" Qiuju Niu nearly panicked. "This is what they call ghost knocking in the village! This village is too eerie!"
"Ghost knocking?" Wang Chao said. "If people aren't doing anything wrong, they shouldn't fear ghost knocking."
Qiuju Niu was certainly someone who had done wrong, but the others had not.
But Jiang He grasped the key point in that statement: "Are you saying that something also hit your door?"
Xu Yiman nodded.
This statement sent everyone into a panic. What could possibly strike the doors of two rooms at the same time?
Jiang He stood at the doorway, instructing someone to close both room doors. He observed the wooden doors of the two rooms. Originally green, the paint had chipped away, revealing an unusually light gray color. The doors were riddled with cracks and damage, looking quite worn.
However, there was nothing particularly unusual about the wooden doors.
"Stop looking; this was definitely not caused by any animal—it's a ghost! A ghost knocking on the door! This village is too eerie. Once I find my grandson, I don’t care about anyone else; I’m leaving immediately," Qiuju Niu said.
The implication of her words was clear: Shao Laoqian had repeatedly warned against exposure because there was more than just Zhang Wenhua who had been abducted in this village; there were likely others as well.
But Qiuju Niu was frightened by some mysterious knocking sound, which was not a good sign. The other members of the task force felt reassured, but Qiuju Niu remained a variable.
At that moment, Qiuju Niu continued to shout.
"Shut her up!" Old Shao whispered urgently.
Wang Chao stepped forward and covered her mouth tightly.
Old Shao slowly threatened, "Qiuju Niu, we’re all sixty years old now. You might think that getting older brings a more peaceful mindset, but let me tell you, in this line of work as a police officer, there’s no such thing as peace of mind. Those who are at peace cannot do this job because it means bloodshed, sacrifice; it means death, terror, and threats."
"The only reason I agreed to let you come is that I need you to help find the way. Otherwise, given your charges, you better think carefully. If you expose us because of your actions, not only will Zhang Wenhua be trapped, but we will also be in danger, do you understand?"
Old Shao's face still bore a smile; he always smiled in such situations.
Old Shao always wore a kind expression, which made many forget that over the past few decades, he had likely arrested more criminals than many young people had encountered in their lives. He had faced death more times than most people had seen the dead.
He was not an ordinary old man.
At that moment, the aura emanating from Old Shao silenced everyone present.
It was an invisible presence; no one understood why, but they felt that it was not the time to speak. This aura was forged through countless encounters with life and death, cultivated after facing death innumerable times. It could also be said that Old Shao was tainted by too much death.
Just like some animals instinctively fear a butcher, a flicker of fear rose in Qiuju Niu's heart as she looked at this kind old man.
"Do you understand?" Old Shao gestured for Wang Chao to release his hand.
Qiuju Niu looked at Old Shao and nodded.
"Very good." Old Shao turned to the east wing. "With such a commotion, Er Dan hasn't reacted at all. Yuan Jun, go check if Er Dan is pretending to sleep or really asleep."
"Okay."
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