"This mission is connected to my parents' whereabouts — there's no reason to give up. Looking at the mission description, it seems all I have to do is keep my eyes closed and never open them."
Chen Ge put away the black phone and looked at the white cat. "I can only go alone. No vengeful spirits, no obsessions, and nothing related to the haunted house. Could it be that if I bring those things, the Nether Fetus will detect me?"
Since the black phone had made those requirements, Chen Ge could only comply. He put on his jacket, found a sturdy rope in the drawer, and tied one end around his own wrist and the other around the white cat.
"Other people leash their pets because they're afraid the pet will run off and they won't be able to find it. I'm leashing this cat because I'm afraid I'll go the wrong place and the cat won't be able to find me. A thousand days of raising a cat, and finally it's time to put it to use."
The white cat, who had been comfortably lying on the bed, was now staring at Chen Ge warily, ears pricked up, eyes darting between the rope and itself.
"Come on, I'll take you somewhere with good food." Chen Ge tried to pick up the white cat, but the cat dug its claws into the sheets and refused to let go.
"Aren't you felines nocturnal animals? Why do you keep staying in bed?"
"If you don't get some exercise, you won't be able to run anymore!"
"Don't be scared! I promise no matter what happens, I won't abandon you. See this rope? This is the unbreakable bond between us!"
……
"Driver, I need to go to the lamp factory across from Jiangyuan Residential Complex in the eastern suburbs." Chen Ge sat in the back seat of the taxi holding the white cat. He'd learned his lesson by now — under no circumstances would he tell the driver he was going to one of those dangerous places directly, lest the driver refuse the fare.
"That area is pretty remote. What are you doing at a lamp factory in the middle of the night?" The driver was studying Chen Ge through the rearview mirror. It wasn't that he was overly cautious — it was just that a passenger like Chen Ge was awfully peculiar, heading from the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs at one in the morning with a cat in his arms.
"The lamp factory is run by my family. Something came up over there and I need to go check on it."
"Isn't that lamp factory already shut down?" The driver grew more confused.
"Exactly. That's precisely why I need to go. You think just because it's shut down, they'd just leave a huge factory sitting there unattended?" Chen Ge's tone carried a hint of displeasure, as if he were already in a foul mood.
"Don't think I'm being nosy, but the eastern suburbs haven't been peaceful lately. The place you're heading to had an incident just a few days ago."
"What kind of incident?"
"The residential complex across from the lamp factory — apparently a husband got drunk and accidentally fell off the balcony. The creepiest part is that the drunk was driven home by one of my colleagues. Anyway, there's something indescribably strange about that place." The driver started the engine.
"I don't believe in that kind of thing." Chen Ge smiled indifferently. "My family always tells me that with enough money, you can make even ghosts work for you. If you're scared of ghosts, that just means you don't have enough money."
The driver was speechless and gave up trying to dissuade Chen Ge. Chen Ge was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet, using the time to search for relevant information.
Half an hour later, the taxi dropped Chen Ge off in the eastern suburbs.
He paid the fare and got out, carrying the white cat as he headed straight for Jiangyuan Residential Complex, leaving the driver behind staring in bewilderment.
"The mission is set to begin at two in the morning." Chen Ge crossed the road and arrived at the complex entrance.
Two buildings stood before him, surrounded on all sides by darkness. The whole area looked desolate.
Since moving away, this was Chen Ge's first time returning here. The scenes in his memory had long since changed.