"I've already checked — there's no one inside, and nothing's been stolen." Jiang Ming really didn't enjoy talking to Chen Ge, but he was forcing himself through the inquiry.
"If nothing was stolen, that means it wasn't a thief. That's actually a bad sign, because what they want is your life." Chen Ge paused for a moment, as if he were thinking carefully.
"Your life?" Jiang Ming seemed to recall something. He fell silent and didn't say another word.
"Sometimes children can see things that adults can't. That's all I can say. If you really run into something you can't handle, go find that redemption master and beg them sincerely. Maybe they'll point you in the right direction." Chen Ge hung up the phone and took a taxi back to New Century Paradise.
Entering the underground scene of the haunted house, Chen Ge gathered the doctors together. "Does anyone know a reliable ENT specialist? Someone who can perform cochlear implant surgery?"
"I have a student who's an expert in this field, but we haven't seen each other in a long time." Doctor Wei, whose students were spread far and wide, gave Chen Ge yet another pleasant surprise. "Why are you asking about this?"
Chen Ge recounted Jiang Ming's situation in full — the alcoholic, gambling-addicted father, the congenitally deaf-mute mother. The old man felt considerable sympathy for the child's plight.
"My student should be working at a hospital in Xin Hai. His skills are absolutely top-notch. You can make an appointment with him in advance."
"Old sir, with our relationship, do we really need an appointment? How about you just send him a dream tonight?" Chen Ge was afraid Doctor Wei would scold him, so he quickly added, "The kid's situation really is dire, and on top of that he's been targeted by a malevolent spirit. That's why I'm planning to pay for the treatment myself. But you know how expensive cochlear implants are, and our haunted house isn't exactly rolling in money. I'm well into my twenties, no car, no apartment — I sleep in a haunted house every night. If I told people that, I'm afraid they'd laugh at me."
Chen Ge rubbed his reddened, swollen eye sockets. "This month I was actually saving up to buy myself an electric scooter, but this sudden emergency has made an already tight situation even worse..."
"All right, all right, I'll help you, okay?" Doctor Wei massaged his temples. "Sending dreams is tricky. You can contact him first and drop my name. I sponsored that kid for his first two years of college — he'll definitely help you. But don't take advantage of him too much."
"Thank you."
After thanking Doctor Wei, Chen Ge returned to the staff break room and collapsed into bed. He needed to rest quickly — there were more important things to do tomorrow.
The next morning at seven o'clock, Chen Ge got up on time, took a cold shower, and changed into a set of clothes that looked reasonably decent.
When the employees arrived for work, Chen Ge was in the makeup room applying cosmetics to everyone while holding a brief morning meeting.
Once he had confirmed that all the scenes were running smoothly, Chen Ge picked up his backpack and left New Century Paradise again.
Hailing a taxi, Chen Ge timed his call to Li Zheng just right and asked about the situation with Jia Ming.
Li Zheng had long since gotten used to Chen Ge's calls — they were as regular as clocking in for work.
He told Chen Ge that the arrest operation was happening today, though he didn't give Chen Ge the specific address or time.
Chen Ge didn't press him. In truth, he had a lot of confidence in the Han Jiang police force.
About ten minutes later, Chen Ge arrived at his destination. Before him stood a cluster of low, run-down apartment buildings.
This was the address the old woman had given him — the place where Jiang Ming had once lived.
Once he actually arrived, Chen Ge noticed something interesting. Fan Yu and his aunt had originally lived here too. Chen Ge had visited once, a few months ago.
"The old district has been slated for demolition for a while, but they only tore down a small portion before work stopped. I should keep an eye on this place."
He entered a narrow alley. A faint stench hung in the air — hard to tell whether it was seeping up from the sewer or drifting out of one of the apartments.
After walking for a while, Chen Ge reached the center of the old district. The apartment building where Jiang Ming's family lived was right here.
Stepping into the stairwell, where the door-world and reality overlapped, Chen Ge found that almost nothing had changed.
The sound of an argument drifted over from not far away. Chen Ge looked toward it and saw two women in their thirties standing at Jiang Ming's front door. They appeared to be community workers, holding forms stamped with various seals.
"What's going on here, ma'am?" Chen Ge approached them. He noticed the two women were wearing employee badges. The one with permed, curly hair was surnamed Mei; the older one was surnamed Li.
"We're from the neighborhood committee. The man in this household has committed domestic violence multiple times. The wife is covered in bruises. We're here to take her away and get her into protective care." Sister Li had her body wedged against the door, preventing the homeowner from closing it.
"Is the wife inside? Why isn't she coming out herself?"