Chapter 55 - Death Curse Part 8

The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and scattered puddles had formed on the narrow alleyway, with the streetlights flickering as if there were a loose connection.

The wooden two-story residence at number four, Third District, was concealed in the dim shadows of the trees, with not a single ray of light to be seen.

“Woo woo—”

Ghastly sounds emerged in the alley, like the moans of aggrieved spirits and the wails of fierce ghosts.

“…” Stack Soldier silently turned his head to look in the direction of the music, “That, can you turn off the music?”

“Sorry, I was just trying to set the mood.” Li Cheng, dressed in his Daoist robe from Mount Mao, complied amicably, putting away the portable speaker that was playing eerie background music into his Backpack, continuing to stare solemnly at the haunted house.

Stack Soldier sighed powerlessly in his heart, somewhat regretting why he had agreed to join Ant for a nighttime exploration of the ghost house.

Death Curse wasn’t a ghost with individual will in the usual sense, but rather like an extremely intense, self-awareness-lacking malice.

It couldn’t communicate, had no clear targets for vengeance or feelings of love and hate, and would only blindly attack any living person contaminated by the Death Curse indiscriminately.

In such a situation, whether players hid in the deserted deep mountains or stood shouting “I am a paratrooper” in a bustling street to attract the public’s gaze, the chances of being attacked were the same.

There was no point in trying to act out anything.

“The drone scan results show that there are still no heat source signals.”

The voice of Jingzhe Xiazi came through the Bluetooth earpiece.

Being not far from Third District in the unfinished building of the safe house, she was controlling the drone to monitor the property.

Standing beside her, Little Red Riding Hood was holding a standard-issue fruit knife from the Japan Anomalous Affairs Investigation Bureau, nervously guarding four Ordinary people, wary of a potential Death Curse attack.

“As expected.

You and Little Red Riding Hood be prepared and protect the three targets well, communicate with us immediately if anything happens.

Ant and I are going into the yard now.”

Stack Soldier took a deep breath, reached out to push open the low wooden gate of the front yard, and stepped into the estate.

His feet on solid ground, the intense chill he had imagined would sweep over his body did not occur.

Stack Soldier scanned around, the residence that had been uninhabited for a month clearly lacked vitality.

Wild weeds had overrun the flower beds, spiderwebs hung under the eaves, and a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the surfaces of the windows.

Rustle rustle.

Noises came from the side, Stack Soldier turned his head to look, only to see Li Cheng putting on a mask, opening several garbage bags piled up in the corner of the yard with his gloved hands, and rummaging through the items inside.

“…What are you doing?”

“Sorting the garbage.” Li Cheng replied matter-of-factly, “You can deduce a lot of information from the traces on the garbage.

For example, kitchen waste reveals dietary preferences, Life waste reflects living habits, even the shit sticking to toilet paper can be used to deduce the diseases they suffered from—

If the stool is black, it might indicate upper gastrointestinal or small intestine bleeding.

If the stool is black and shiny, it might mean a large amount of blood accumulating in the intestinal cavity.

Mucus and blood in the stool could signify bacterial dysentery, greasy diarrhea might be a small intestinal disease, and pale clay-colored stool could indicate a tumor or gallstones in the bile duct…”

“Uh…”

This miraculous tirade silenced Stack Soldier, and after a pause, he asked, “How do you know so much, did you learn it from books on criminal investigation?”

“Not at all.” Li Cheng replied, “I learned it during my internship at the East University Proctology Hospital from my senior colleagues.

Our department’s motto was ‘Ambitious for hemorrhoids, passionate about the intestinal path’.”

This time, it wasn’t just Stack Soldier confused, even Jingzhe Xiazi on the other end of the earphone was filled with question marks.

Thanks to a rich online knowledge base of the real world, Li Cheng, as a mystery enthusiast, had read a wide array of miscellaneous books.

The knowledge he possessed might not be profound enough to compare with cutting-edge experts, but it was indeed vast and complex.

It could come in handy at any time.

The reason he played the fool wasn’t entirely for amusement—it mainly served to distinguish himself from his real-world persona by playing a character with a mental disorder.

After organizing his thoughts, Stack Soldier asked, “The Suzuki couple’s son and daughter-in-law are in our hands, why not just ask their parents directly if they are sick?

Why the extra step?”

Li Cheng put down the trash bag and said, “Even children may not always be aware of their parents’ health status.

Besides, some elderly don’t even realize they have health issues.

Determining the true cause of death is crucial.

If the Suzuki couple actually died from a sudden illness or drowned in the bathtub after fainting, it could lead us to misjudge the actual timing of the curse’s manifestation.”

Upon hearing this, Stack Soldier asked, “Did you find a clue?”

“Hahaha, absolutely none.” Li Cheng took off his mask and smirked confidently, exposing eight gleaming teeth in the dark night.

He rummaged through a pile of trash and found an empty can, which he effortlessly crushed underfoot.

Then why are you so smug?!

You’re probably just finding an excuse to satisfy your desire to rummage through trash, aren’t you?

And why are you so adept at crushing cans?

Could it be that you’re a sanitation worker or a trash picker in the real world?!

Stack Soldier took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to retort, and calmly said, “Anyway, I’m going to open the door now, get ready.”

He reached for the doorknob, gently pressed and pushed, and the unlocked door creaked open.

No air had circulated inside for a long time, and a musty smell hit them in the face.

The flashlight illuminated the room’s interior, revealing all its details.

As in the photos provided by Suzuki Kazuya, the house was not large.

Upon entering the entrance hall, they faced a corridor.

To the right of the corridor were a shoe cabinet and a bathroom, to the left were the kitchen and dining area, and at the end of the corridor was the living room.

In the corner of the living room was a staircase leading to the second floor.

The angle of the stairs was especially dark, invoking a strong sense of unease, as if something might crawl down from there at any moment.

“We checked before, and this residential area has power, so the lights still don’t work, huh?”

Stack Soldier hit the light switch on the wall—it had no effect.

Suddenly, a mighty force came from the direction of the doorknob.

Despite being prepared, Stack Soldier was forcefully pushed into the room by the wooden door.

Bang!

The wooden door shut with a thud, isolating the inside from the outside.

Worse, the figure of Li Cheng in the Daoist robe had inexplicably vanished, leaving no trace of where he went.

In the entire house, only Stack Soldier was left.

“Eh eh eh—”

A creepy wheezing sound, like blood stuck in a throat, came from the end of the corridor at the staircase.

Something was crawling down the stairs.

Wait, where did everyone go?

Li Cheng stood at the entrance, frowning slightly.

From his perspective, as the door suddenly closed, Stack Soldier abruptly vanished with a “whoosh,” leaving only him behind.

The Bluetooth earpiece, known for its resistance to complicated electromagnetic environments, now carried chaotic static noise.

The glass in the living room area, which was only covered in a layer of dust, became inexplicably blurred, completely obstructing the view outside.

This place was probably no longer the old site of the Fujita Family but somewhere else…

After a moment’s thought, Li Cheng confirmed that even using the Mantis Arm Bone Blade with the covering Talisman couldn’t break open the door, he turned and stepped across the entrance to explore the house.