Chapter 53: Monster, End, Bed
After everyone finished introducing themselves, Director Mao got straight to the point.
"Your next case will be in a nearby village—Red River Village. The police were called to investigate a murder but couldn’t find any evidence, so they contacted SIF. Our non-Hunter personnel conducted a preliminary investigation and concluded that the victim was killed by a ghost."
He picked up a report from his desk and handed it to Luo Li.
"As always, Luo Li will remain the team leader. This report contains all the information we’ve managed to gather. Good luck."
With their mission in hand, the four of them left Director Mao’s office. Lai Niu, the president’s daughter, seemed particularly eager to get started.
"I checked online. The village is about an hour’s drive from here. We should hurry up so we don’t waste time," she said, her fingers dancing over her phone’s screen non-stop.
Luo Li gave a nod of agreement. "Let’s go. I’ll send Liang Mingxia a message on the way to keep her informed."
With the keys in hand, Feng Fan took the lead toward the car, and the group quickly piled in.
One hour later, they arrived at Red River Village. The sun hung high in the sky, casting its rays unimpeded by clouds, but an eerie silence blanketed the area. Despite the bright weather, the village felt lifeless.
Lai Niu glanced at her phone, her expression shifting to one of confusion.
"According to Wikipedia, this village has about twenty thousand people. Not a big place, but it shouldn’t look like... a ghost town."
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Three days before the ball at Celestial Estate.
It was fifty minutes past two a.m. when five high school girls rushed into the forest. The dense foliage and twisted tree roots give an almost otherworldly feel. Even on days with heavy sunlight, the thick canopy blocked most of it, creating a perpetually dim and shadowy environment.
Moss clung to rocks and tree trunks, and the uneven terrain was dotted with ancient lava caves. Magnetic iron deposits hidden within the volcanic ground interfered with compasses and GPS devices, making it alarmingly easy to lose one’s way.
Holding their cell phones as flashlights, the five girls moved cautiously along an established path leading to the forest’s center. None of them were accustomed to physical exertion, and only the sound of their ragged breathing broke the oppressive silence as they hurried down the dark trail.
After several minutes, they finally reached their destination: a clearing where a weathered sign hung high, reading: Red River Village Graveyard.
They stepped into the graveyard and walked toward a tomb a few meters away from the entrance.
"Hurry up, Xie Jiang, it’s almost three o’clock!" shouted a petite girl with short bobbed hair, positioned at the front of the group. She shot an impatient glare at another girl carrying a small, brown briefcase.
"Calm down, Qin Pengfei. We’re still on time," Xie Jiang replied, kneeling beside a tombstone that read:
Here rests Huang Xiaotong, 2009-2025.
Xie Jiang opened her briefcase and carefully took out a Ouija board, its smooth, worn surface reflecting the dim light from their cell phones. The other four girls positioned their phones strategically, casting beams that illuminated the dark graveyard.
With everything in place, they cleared a small patch of ground and drew a circle around the Ouija board. One by one, they sat cross-legged around it, their expressions tense and eyes wide, exchanging nervous glances.
The air felt colder, and a chill crept down their spines as each one of them placed two trembling fingers on the planchette.
"Okay..." Qin Pengfei said nervously, her hands trembling as she adjusted her grip on the planchette. "Let’s find out who killed Huang Xiaotong. The police are useless, so we’ll ask her ourselves."
The other girls nodded, their faces pale but determined. Their friend had died under mysterious and unnatural circumstances, and the authorities had proven too incompetent to catch the culprit.
Desperation had driven them to this dark place, to seek answers from beyond the grave.
Qin Pengfei glanced at the planchette, her voice wavering as she spoke. "Huang Xiaotong, we summon you. Come from the other side and speak to us... please."
The air grew cold, as if the forest itself had taken a sharp breath. A chill crept up their spines, and a sudden gust stirred the leaves around them. The planchette trembled violently under their fingertips, rattling against the board like it was possessed.
Qin Pengfei swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. "Is... is anyone moving it?" she whispered.
The girls exchanged nervous glances and quickly shook their heads. No one dared to speak, but it was clear—the planchette was moving on its own, guided by an unseen force.
"Who killed you?" Qin Pengfei asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The planchette glided rapidly across the board, forming three words:
MONSTER END BED
Confusion flickered across their faces. "What does that mean? A monster killed her? Not a human?" asked Hou Song, a blonde girl with a high ponytail, her voice laced with confusion and disbelief.
Though the question hadn’t been directed at the spirit, the planchette slid to YES, sending a shiver down their spines.
"M-Monster? What kind of monster?" Xie Jiang stammered, her lips dry and cracked from fear.
The planchette moved again, slowly spelling out: DON’T
But before it could complete the sentence, it jerked wildly as if dozens of invisible hands were fighting for control. It scraped and skittered across the board, circling the same letter over and over.
"What’s going on?!" Qin Pengfei cried, trying to steady the planchette, but it continued to shake uncontrollably.
Suddenly, with a deafening crack, the planchette shattered into countless tiny fragments. An eerie, inhuman scream tore through the air, echoing out of the Ouija board like the wail of a tormented soul.
Panic erupted among the girls, and they scrambled to their feet, snatching their cell phones as they bolted toward the forest entrance. Their ragged breaths and pounding footsteps faded into the distance, leaving behind the broken remnants of the Ouija board, still open, inviting anyone to cross over to this side.