At 11:34 PM, Chen Ge received a call from Captain Yan while sitting in the police car.
"The situation isn't great. The other side is extremely vigilant — it seems they've already discovered us." Captain Yan then sent Chen Ge a photo: "Our investigator found a phone inside the elevator after entering it. There was a message being composed on it."
The photo showed Xiao Gu's phone, with a strange message in the WeChat input field:
"Daddy killed us and placed us on the stairs."
"Big brother is lying behind me."
"Little brother is lying in front of me."
"Can you find us?"
"What does this mean?" Chen Ge frowned after seeing the message on Xiao Gu's phone, not quite grasping its meaning.
"I suspect those lunatics have already discovered us. That's why they deliberately left this message in the elevator."
"You've already entered Building Three?" Chen Ge had previously warned Captain Yan and his team, instructing them absolutely not to tip off the enemy.
"Both action teams are still in plain clothes and haven't entered the Fanghua Garden residential complex. The vehicles are parked at an intersection 150 meters from the complex. There are people standing by inside the cars."
"Then how could you have been discovered? Could it be a problem with your investigator?"
"Impossible. The one who entered Building Three is a veteran on our team with seven years of criminal investigation experience. He's helped us crack numerous violent cases." Captain Yan didn't believe his subordinate could be at fault. "Besides, the moment he opened the elevator, he saw this phone. To set up this phone in advance without being seen, it would have taken at least three minutes. And three minutes before that, our investigator hadn't even entered the Fanghua Garden complex yet."
"I see what you mean. The suspect had already placed this phone before you even arrived." Once Chen Ge understood this point, his expression changed. "Where is the investigator who found the phone?"
"He's still inside Building Three. That photo was taken and sent back by him."
"This is bad! Get him out of there right now!" Chen Ge knew perfectly well that the Strange Tales Association's real target in luring Xiao Gu was to get to him. That phone with its strange, half-composed message — it had been prepared for him!
After encountering so many ghosts and spirits, Chen Ge had figured out certain rules. The vast majority of ghosts — Red Clothes included — needed some kind of medium to harm people.
For example, receiving Zhang Ya's love letter, playing Xu Yin's cassette tape, using a ballpoint pen to play the笔仙 game, and so on.
Ordinary people needed a "special object" as a trigger before they could come into contact with the other world.
The message left on Xiao Gu's phone was essentially a trigger. Seeing it was equivalent to being marked by one or several unknown spirits.
"Understood." Captain Yan didn't ask for details. He used the internal communication device to issue a temporary withdrawal order to the investigator. But contrary to his expectations, only a few minutes passed before the investigator lost contact!
"Something happened?" Captain Yan didn't hang up. Chen Ge could hear everything clearly on his end. "I might still need three or four minutes to get there. Don't send anyone else in!"
On the other end of the phone, several officers were discussing strategies. After ten-odd seconds, Chen Ge heard the sound of a car door opening, as if someone had found Captain Yan.
After a brief exchange, Captain Yan told the person to stay in the car, then picked up his own phone and said to Chen Ge, "The apprentice of that investigator just came to me. His master sent him a WeChat message."
"When you tried to contact the investigator just now, he didn't respond to you?" Chen Ge grew more confused. "What did the investigator send his apprentice?"
"Just three words — 'Are you there.'"
"Are you there?"
"This message definitely wasn't sent by our investigator." Captain Yan's voice turned grave. "An experienced investigator would absolutely never send a meaningless text to his apprentice during a mission. If he needed something or was in danger, the first person he'd think to contact would be the on-site commander."
"It looks like that investigator may already be in grave danger." Chen Ge didn't say this out loud — he only thought it to himself.
"Whether he's been harmed or not, we need to prepare for the worst." With the investigator in peril, Captain Yan naturally couldn't stay behind the complex perimeter any longer. "Notify Team One and Team Two — move now! Enter Building Three!"
"Captain Yan, don't be reckless! The psychiatric patients in that building are extremely dangerous!"
"The situation has changed. We have no choice but to switch to another plan. Give the phone to Old Wu — have him drive the car over to my position and regroup with me."
Human lives were at stake. Chen Ge knew he couldn't talk Captain Yan out of it and had to relent. "The others should be fine. Just make sure the officer who saw that message doesn't enter the building. He may already be marked."
The investigator had seen the message being composed on Xiao Gu's phone, and then something happened.
After it happened, a message was immediately sent to his apprentice. Chen Ge had a vague feeling there was something hidden in all of this.
He also recalled the very first thing Xiao Gu had said when he called — it seemed to have something to do with Old Wang.
Thinking it through again: Xiao Gu had already committed to working at the haunted house. The odds of him running into the Fanghua Garden complex on patrol late at night were slim. So why had he been inside Building Three?
"Xiao Gu's predicament was very likely caused by Old Wang sending him a message first!"
Chen Ge wanted to say something more to Captain Yan, but Captain Yan had already begun issuing orders and hung up.
Three minutes later, Chen Ge arrived at the Fanghua Garden complex.
"Have you found the missing investigator?"
"He was found at the second-floor stairwell landing. Physically unharmed, but unconscious. According to personnel on the scene, his pupils are dilated and his complexion looks terrible." Captain Yan stood by the car, holding their internal communication device, his brow furrowed. "What I'm trying to figure out is how the perpetrator managed to incapacitate an adult with combat training and a strong physique in just a few minutes."
While the two talked, the investigator had already been carried out, with a dedicated person looking after him.
Chen Ge glanced at the investigator's outfit. He looked completely ordinary — as long as he kept his outer jacket on and the police walkie-talkie wasn't visible, there was no way to tell he was an officer.
"The Strange Tales Association probably thought this plainclothes officer was just a passerby who stumbled into the situation. They treat human life like grass — they wouldn't hesitate to harm even an innocent person. But this time, they've kicked the wrong iron plate."
The first time Chen Ge visited the 24th floor, Zhu Xiu had made a request to the Strange Tales Association, asking them to help him escape the police manhunt. The Strange Tales Association had flatly refused.
This small detail proved something: the Strange Tales Association didn't dare to come into direct conflict with the police. They were like rats living in the shadows of this city — making a mess, gnawing on carrion, but never daring to step into the light.
"Captain Yan, did your people find that phone in the elevator?" Chen Ge asked another critical question. The unfinished message on Xiao Gu's phone was a trap deliberately left by the Strange Tales Association — seeing it could very likely trigger something ominous.
"Team One already found it. It's been placed in an evidence bag."