From the end of the world

Chapter 10 The Basement on the 4th Floor
Things that go against the common sense of the world cannot exist, just like a fire cannot continue to burn without fuel.

Although my "fireflies" are creations that go against the common sense of the world, they are by no means rootless duckweed.

The reason why it can continue to exist is because there is a spiritual connection between it and me, and my spiritual power is constantly adding fuel to its existence along the connection.

However, the cave in front of me seemed to be covered by an invisible barrier. When the "firefly" went down, the invisible barrier did not block it, but ruthlessly cut off my spiritual connection with it. It was as if to say that the "real space" and the "space that should not exist in reality" are as clear as yin and yang. People in the world of the living cannot go against common sense and try to transgress the laws of heaven and earth to establish a free channel of communication with the underworld.

"So what are you going to do?" Chang'an didn't notice the changes on my side.

He first asked for my opinion, then showed an uneasy look on his face: "I think we should close the lid quickly, in case there is something dirty hidden under the cave..."

"Don't worry." I asked after thinking for a while, "Do you have a Bluetooth camera or something at home?"

"Are you going to throw a Bluetooth camera down there to replace your eyes?" He immediately realized what was happening, then shook his head regretfully, "But I don't have one here."

"It doesn't matter if you don't have it, just give me your phone."

He obediently handed the phone to me, and I took out my own phone, opened WeChat, and initiated a video call request to Changan's phone.

After the call was connected, I went to the kitchen to get a broom, then took out the rubber band he used to use when collecting barbecue takeout, fixed my mobile phone and flashlight to the end of the broom at the same time, used it as a luminous selfie stick, squatted on the floor and looked down into the cave.

“So there is such a method!”

Chang'an's eyes lit up and he leaned forward to look at his mobile phone, wanting to check the video footage transmitted back from below.

Immediately, he made a sound of confusion and disappointment: "...Huh?"

Unfortunately, no images were transmitted back.

Because since my phone entered the cave, the network signal was automatically cut off.

I first took my own mobile phone back and changed the network connection to a shared Changan mobile phone data hotspot. Then I tried to send my own mobile phone into the cave, but it still didn't work. The network seemed to be cut off by an invisible barrier.

It seems that not only spiritual connection but also electronic signal connection is not working.

I put my phone away again, took a deep breath, and prepared myself mentally.

This time, I stretched out my arm and reached into the cave!

Changan was unable to stop him and could only exclaim: "What are you doing!"

I ignored his voice and focused solely on the feeling of my arm.

Humans' perception and control of their own bodies ultimately rely on electronic signals. If this cave is a cave that blocks even electronic signals, I should not be able to control my arms now.

But this time, the signal was not blocked, and I could clearly feel my arm and move my hand smoothly.

"Mental connection" and "electronic signal connection" are ultimately "wireless connections". According to the current situation, since the physiological connection between the brain and the arm works, does it mean that other forms of "wired connection" will also work?

Or does the physical body of a living thing simply possess some mysterious property, just like the space storage props in many fantasy stories that cannot store living things, and this cave cannot block the connection of life signals?

If it's the latter, I'll have no choice but to go in person.

Wait a minute, I seem to have been distracted by the disappearance of the "fireflies" at the beginning.

If you just want to know what's inside the cave, there's no need to worry about wired or wireless connection. Can't you just turn your phone to recording mode and repeat the steps just now?
I understand why I didn't think of such a simple method at the first time, because I was too eager to explore the phenomenon of the disconnection between the inside and outside of the cave. It was the first time I encountered such an incredible thing, and I couldn't help but concentrate on exploring the specific mechanism.

Seeing that I was safe and sound, Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly grabbed me, wanting to get me away from the cave.

"You're taking too much of a risk! Haven't you ever thought that something might happen to you?" he said with lingering fear.

"Chang'an, let's try again." I turned to him and told him my plan.

After listening to it, his first reaction was: "You really just want to use your phone to record what's going on down there, and you don't plan to go down there yourself, right? You should be satisfied after watching it, right?"

"..."

"Why do you turn your head away?" He glared at me.

Changan's hunch was correct, and I couldn't be satisfied with just a peek inside. Even if there was something "dirty" down there, I would still persevere in the end.

I started thinking about how to convince him or get him out of the way.

Although it is not impossible to break into the cave directly, he might follow me in. What if there is danger inside? The reason why he encountered strange events may be because of me, but I have no intention of implicating him.

The best way might be to pretend to agree here first, and then go back alone to investigate. Anyway, he doesn't live in this house now.

It seems that I can't investigate further for the time being.

"Changan, I..."

We had barely gotten half of our words out when something unexpected interrupted our conversation.

dong dong dong.

There was an unexpected knock on the door.

I could only shut my mouth helplessly. Why did it feel like someone kept knocking on my door today? This was the third time, right? Although it wasn't my door that was knocked this time. "Who?" Changan shouted.

But the person outside the door didn't respond and just kept knocking.

I simply stood up and walked towards the entrance, while Changan picked up the black plush carpet rolled up beside him and covered the hole for the time being. Although it was not a secret that should not be exposed to the public, for such a supernatural thing that did not know what kind of danger it contained, perhaps it should not be exposed to unrelated passers-by.

However, the person who appeared outside the door this time, regardless of whether he was related or not, was at least not a stranger he had never met before.

When I opened the door, the person outside also saw me.

"Huh?" The man was confused and surprised at first, and after a moment he finally recognized my face, "...Do you live here? Isn't this right?"

This person was the policeman who knocked on my door not long ago and was investigating clues about the serial killer's sightings.

Has he come all the way here during his visit?

"No, my friend lives here." I suppressed my surprise, turned back into the house and called Chang'an over.

Changan rushed over immediately and introduced himself to the police.

The policeman looked at me in confusion, and finally spoke to Chang'an first: "It's you, the one who made a false police report the night before last."

"I didn't make a false call to the police." Chang'an said with his neck stiff.

"People from our bureau later checked and found that a very serious murder case had occurred in your house before, and the murderer has not been arrested yet." The police asked seriously, "You said your house is haunted, is it really just a haunted place? Tell me again about the anomalies you found before."

It turned out that the policeman was here to investigate a murder case that happened eight months ago.

I heard that the official forces do take homicide cases very seriously, to the point that there is a slogan that "homicide cases must be solved", but those were murders that happened eight months ago. Would the official forces pursue homicide cases to this extent?
Previously, there were rumors on the Internet that some wanted criminals went to Jay Chou's concert after hiding from the limelight, but were caught on the spot by the authorities. In comparison, it doesn't seem so strange that the authorities are keeping such a close eye on the murderer who has been at large so far.

But I remember that this police officer was dealing with the latest serial killer case, but now he has to take time out to inquire about clues in another case. Is this kind of busy situation common in their place? Or...

“It’s really haunted!”

Chang'an was anxious to prove himself, so he let the police into the room. He walked to the black plush carpet and pulled it open.

"Look!" He pointed at the magic circle on the floor. "Look, there really is... there really is..."

As he was speaking, his voice stopped.

The floor was bare, and there was no cave. Only the magic circle painted with black paint remained, and even the wooden lid was gone.

Not only Chang'an, I was also shocked. The cave actually disappeared?
What happened? The night before, Changan called the police, and the cave disappeared after the police arrived. Today, the police also came, and the cave disappeared again.

Could it be that the police were masculine and righteous, and the cave was an evil thing, so when the police came, it trembled and quickly hid its body? How could this be possible!

With the facts before my eyes, I could only tell myself not to worry. This wasn't the first time a cave had appeared and disappeared, and perhaps this was part of the strange phenomenon, and something I needed to explore.

"Where's the ghost?" the policeman asked expressionlessly, "Let it out?"

"Ghost...ghost..." Chang'an stammered, not daring to say anything.

The policeman sighed, then seemed to notice something. He walked to the front of the magic circle, squatted down, and touched the paint on the edge lines with his fingers.

He rubbed his fingers thoughtfully, his expression becoming more and more serious. After a moment, he said to himself: "...blood?"
-
Although they did not see the strange cave with their own eyes, the policeman's attitude was obviously different after coming into contact with the magic circle. His originally serious and mature face suddenly became even more profound.

He took us downstairs and asked Changan, "Do you have any other place to stay?"

"What?" Changan hasn't reacted yet.

"From now on, the house you rented will be protected as a crime scene again. You can't go back to live there at least today and tomorrow." The police said in an unquestionable tone.

"Ah? But..." Chang'an seemed to want to say something.

But he suddenly shut up, turned his head and looked at me, then said to the police in a firm tone: "No problem, I didn't plan to live in that kind of place anyway. Please make sure to protect the scene and don't let any rats in!"

It's really too much to call me a rat.

He probably said that to prevent me from entering the cave. It was really a waste of time. If I was determined to enter the cave, it would be useless no matter how many ordinary people came or how strict the defense was.

"By the way, why do we want to protect that house?" Chang An asked. "Is it because of the murder case eight months ago? But that happened eight months ago. Maybe the murderer has already fled to another place."

"You can't say that. This is a murder case. A murder case with extremely cruel means and very serious circumstances. The bureau has always attached great importance to this major case. And..." The police seemed to be thinking about whether to reveal the following words.

After a long while, he looked at Chang'an, then at me, and finally said, "Moreover, the murderer is still wandering around Xianshui City, and is even continuing to cause trouble."

"What?" Chang'an was horrified.

I made associations based on the other person's eyes and came to a conclusion based on my previous suspicions.

"The serial killer who has been committing crimes in the city in the past two months is the murderer who killed the previous tenant in that house eight months ago?"

Ma Zao's face also appeared in my mind.

(End of this chapter)