Translator: CinderTL
The room fell silent. After a few seconds, a man with a raspy voice from the Black-Faced Strongman's group exclaimed in shock, "What did you say?"
"Stop acting like you've never seen anything like this before," the girl who hadn't spoken much before said. "We have a way to contact the missing people. Your ears aren't deaf."
"Contact?" Huai Yi couldn't help but ask. "How?"
In everyone's subconscious, people who disappeared in supernatural events were presumed dead, having perished in another world beyond human comprehension.
So, how could they still be contacted?
Even if it were possible, could they be sure whether the voice on the other end belonged to a human or a ghost?
The man with pale blue eyes placed a phone on the table. "Everyone should be familiar with the May Station incident in Grey Stone Town. The first group disappeared after entering the tunnel, while the people waiting outside to provide support vanished one by one over the following nights."
"Before their disappearances, they all reported seeing the platform and that eerie train."
"This phone was left behind by one of the support team members."
"So what?" The Black-Faced Strongman's thick eyebrows furrowed. "You're not suggesting we can contact the missing people using this phone, are you?"
Having dared to take on this case, the Black-Faced Strongman and his two companions were no ordinary individuals. Their understanding of supernatural events ran far deeper than that of ordinary people.
Even so, everyone's attention remained fixed on the phone, as if it might suddenly ring at any moment, bringing either a pleasant surprise or a terrifying shock.
The phone was an outdated flip phone, its casing covered in scratches.
The man picked it up, flipped it open, and fiddled with it for a moment. The call interface appeared on the screen, displaying several missed calls. The caller ID for each was "Na Ruhu."
"Na Ruhu was the captain of the previous team," the man said calmly. "He's one of those who disappeared in the tunnel. Pay close attention to the time of the calls."
"Last night?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
According to the information they had, Na Ruhu and his team had been missing for at least three days. Yet someone had used Na Ruhu's phone to call this one last night.
As if anticipating their question, the man explained, "We investigated. Na Ruhu's phone vanished along with him when he entered the tunnel."
"Wait!" Huai Yi suddenly interrupted, his expression one of astonishment. He pointed at the phone. "This... this means someone answered the call?"
Among the rows of missed calls displayed in red, there was a single black one, indicating that a call had gone through.
"I answered it," the man said directly.
Jiang Cheng fell silent for a moment, leaning forward slightly to meet the man's gaze directly. "Stop beating around the bush. What did they say?"
The man gestured to the girl standing beside him. She pulled a recording pen from her pocket, switched it on, and a crackling static sound filled the air.
Zzzt
Zzzt
The moment Jiang Cheng heard the sound, his expression changed. The feeling was too familiar. It was precisely this kind of eerie recording that had plunged him into a nightmare from which he had been struggling to escape ever since.
Hu Yan's recording.
The same unsettling sensation, the same static. The voice on the other end was definitely not human—it was a ghost!
This was a ghost call!
Zzzt
Everyone's taut nerves twitched simultaneously as a strange sound emerged from the recording—a song.
The song was fragmented and indistinct, yet its ancient melody was unmistakable. It was clearly not a product of this era, dating back at least a century.
Even more unsettling, they could hear the song but couldn't make out the lyrics, only vaguely sensing the melody.
"Pipi..." Hidden within the song was a faint male voice, barely audible unless you listened carefully.
"What... what's he saying?" Fatty swallowed hard, his nervousness palpable. He'd once stumbled upon a radio station dedicated to ghost-hunting techniques.
"Pipi... what's he trying to split?" someone whispered, speculating. "Or was he hacked by something?"
Judging by the sound, the man was severely injured, as if making a desperate call on the verge of death.
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"My apologies, gentlemen," the Black-Faced Strongman said to the man and Jiang Cheng, clasping his hands in a bow. "I have other matters to attend to. I won't be wading into these waters." He turned to leave.
The man who had summoned Jiang Cheng and the Black-Faced Strongman simply looked at Jiang Cheng with indifference. "Young friend, aren't you afraid?"
Jiang Cheng stared into the man's sapphire-blue eyes for a long moment before replying, "I'd like to ask you the same question. Aren't you afraid we'll join forces and kill you first, considering how you've manipulated us?"
At this, the Black-Faced Strongman stopped in his tracks, sensing something amiss in their conversation. "What do you mean?"
"It means no one leaves this room alive today," Chen Qiang said, his eyes burning with resentment as he glared at the man. "If we want to survive, we have no choice but to join forces and resolve this Supernatural event." The man had deliberately set them up.
A moment later, the Black-Faced Strongman's expression shifted, and he immediately understood. "Is there something wrong with the recording?" he asked, his voice rising. "Anyone who hears the recording will die!"
Jiang Cheng picked up the phone from the table and scrolled through the call history. He quickly found another incoming call from three days ago, with a duration of 19 seconds.
"The owner of this phone disappeared right after answering that call from Na Ruhu," Jiang Cheng stated firmly.
"That's right," the girl interjected. "We're all ants on the same rope now. If we don't resolve this, we'll all die."
Her tone lacked any remorse for having dragged them into this mess. Instead, it held a hint of provocation.
"No wonder you're so desperate to resolve this," Fatty realized. "The Ghost has targeted you!" He couldn't help but exclaim in anger.
"Once this is resolved, I want your share," Jiang Cheng said. "I'll take two-thirds. You started this mess, and we're here to save your lives!"
"If you disagree, we'll join forces to kill you two first, then figure out how to deal with this," Jiang Cheng said, first looking at the man, then at the girl.
The man nodded. "Deal."
(End of the Chapter)
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