Red-clothed ghosts existed because of the obsessions rooted in their hearts, but a person's life was finite. Chen Ge worried that one day, when he was gone, the horde of employees in his haunted house would have nowhere to call home. So he was already planning ahead for the future.
Wanting to be friends with that many red-clothed ghosts and vengeful spirits — an ordinary person couldn't handle it. Just hearing about the situation would probably scare someone to death.
Among the children Chen Ge currently knew, Fan Yu was the most suitable successor.
Whether it was the painter behind the door or Fan Yu outside the door, both of them clicked with Chen Ge on a fundamental level.
With Chen Ge's current circumstances, he couldn't formally adopt a child — at least not legally. But he could look after one on their behalf.
Li Zheng wouldn't understand all of this, but when he heard what Chen Ge had to say, he was still moved. He thought Chen Ge wanted to take in a child simply out of pity for Ying Tong. He had no idea about the predicament Chen Ge was currently facing.
The Underworld Fetus mission had placed enormous pressure on Chen Ge. Behind Ying Tong's door, he had nearly been killed. If he died behind the door, what would happen to the obsessions still remaining in the haunted house?
Truthfully, Chen Ge didn't have one hundred percent confidence in completing the Underworld Fetus mission, nor could he guarantee he would survive.
He chatted with Li Zheng for a while longer, then prepared to leave. His mood wasn't great.
Only two nights remained, and he still didn't have any information about the last child.
"Chen Ge, wait a moment." Li Zheng suddenly spoke up just as Chen Ge was about to walk out the door. He turned off the recorder and quietly pulled out his phone. "There's something Captain Yan told me not to share with you, but I think it's better to give you a heads-up."
He opened the phone and pulled up a surveillance video.
Last night, Ying Chen had returned to his residential complex carrying a black package. Not long after he entered the complex, a surveillance camera at a street-corner convenience store captured a man in a trench coat.
The man wore a black hat that hid his eyes and nose, revealing only a mouth frozen in an eternal smile.
"Bu Xiao?" Chen Ge recognized the person in the surveillance footage. He hadn't expected Bu Xiao to have found Ying Chen last night as well.
"Nie Xin's attending physician is still in a coma. According to the nurses on duty, they also saw this strange man at the hospital that day." Li Zheng put away his phone. "Captain Yan seems to know something about this person. It was after learning of this stranger's appearance that he offered to take over Ying Chen's case. His expression was very worried. I asked him about it multiple times, and he finally gave in after I wore him down — he told me one thing. He said I absolutely had to stay far away from that man."
"Captain Yan seems to know Bu Xiao quite well?"
"Mm. It seems to be connected to a case from a few years ago. When Captain Yan was young, he served in Hanjiang. He participated in the investigation of a vicious case involving the murder of young children. The killer in that case had already died, and everyone thought it could be closed — only Captain Yan believed someone else was the real killer. Unfortunately, he was too young back then; he only knew right from wrong, not how to win and lose. Later, he was transferred elsewhere. But what no one expected was that Captain Yan rose through the ranks from that small place, and because of his outstanding ability, he was directly transferred to Xinhai City." Li Zheng held Captain Yan in very high regard, and every word dripped with admiration.
"Captain Yan was a police officer in Xinhai too?"
"Not just served... Forget it, I can't explain it all to you. All you need to know is that when Captain Yan was at the peak of his career, he didn't take the path others had laid out for him. Instead, he returned to Hanjiang once again."
"He came back to reinvestigate the child murder case?" Chen Ge was somewhat curious. "How many years ago did that case happen?"
"About twenty years ago."
"Twenty years ago? Bu Xiao was already appearing in Hanjiang back then?" Chen Ge grew interested in the case. He wanted to know the specific details, but Li Zheng wasn't willing to say another word.
"Just watch out for yourself. Those monsters who always wear smiles seem to be following you."
"I'll be careful." Chen Ge nodded. "You two protect Ying Tong and Zhen Zhen. That monster might target those two children as well."
Chen Ge was almost out of the conference room when Ying Tong, who had been sitting obediently in his chair the whole time, suddenly ran over. Following the sound of Chen Ge's voice, he grabbed onto Chen Ge's clothes.
"Ying Tong, cooperate with the doctor's treatment for now. I'll come see you again once I've finished handling things."
"There's something the police took from me... Could you hold onto it for me for a while?" Ying Tong's voice was pitiful.
"What is it?"
"A clay figurine with my name written on it."
Hearing Ying Tong's words, a faint glint passed through Chen Ge's eyes. He turned to look at Li Zheng. "Brother Zheng? Have you seen a clay figurine like that?"
"Most of those twisted figurine toys found in Ying Tong's room still had traces of the victims' human tissue on them, and all of them were handmade by Ying Chen. From the appearance of the figurines, we could also judge Ying Chen's psychological state."
"I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. Could you take us to have a look? Regardless, both Ying Tong and I count as witnesses."
After getting Captain Yan's approval, Li Zheng took Chen Ge into the evidence room. In a corner, they found the clay figurine Ying Tong had described.
"Where did you find this figurine?" Every child chosen by the Underworld Fetus had one of these figurines. Chen Ge had searched for one at Ying Chen's home himself but hadn't found it.
"Right on Ying Tong. The boy had been hiding it on him the whole time. We figured the figurine had to be connected to the case." Li Zheng explained from the side.
"He kept it on him at all times. No wonder I didn't find it."
"What did you say?"
"I think you might be overthinking this. The figurine is probably just a child's emotional anchor. Nothing was detected on it, so why not return it to the boy? It might even help with treating Ying Tong's psychological condition." A faint meowing sound reached Chen Ge's ears. He activated his Ghost Ear and confirmed the sound was coming from inside the figurine.
"That's not out of the question, actually. As long as Ying Tong cooperates properly, we can hand the figurine back to him." The forensic examiner and the professional investigators had already examined the figurine and found no leads. In that case, returning it to Ying Tong might help earn the boy's trust.
"Thank you." Chen Ge held the figurine. "Brother Zheng, could you let me spend some time alone with Ying Tong?"
"You're really something. I've noticed that other people who come to the station can't wait to leave, but once you're here you don't want to go. Are you treating this place like your own home?" Li Zheng said this, but he walked out on his own anyway.
"This uncle is all sharp words and a soft heart. He looks strict, but he's actually a really good person." Chen Ge held the figurine, his pupils slowly contracting as his voice dropped lower. "Ying Tong, tell me the truth — the Lady in Skirt, Mister Wood, Auntie Wu, are they all inside this figurine?"
The moment he had laid eyes on the figurine, Chen Ge had noticed something wrong. Curses coiled around it, constantly tormenting several remnant wills inside.
It took Ying Tong a long while before he spoke. "And Miss Red."