Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 270 The Woman with a Hair Clip
Jiang Jin's heart skipped a beat; this might be the perfect opportunity to uncover the mystery! He immediately agreed, "Okay, come over tonight. Lu Ni and I will be waiting for you at home."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Jin called Saiti again, making an excuse that he wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be returning to the studio that afternoon.

Although Saiti felt that Atai was acting strangely today, he didn't ask any further questions.

Afterwards, Jiang Jin and Lin Lu continued to try to find out about the "homosexual rumors" from back then at school.

They asked some people who looked like long-time faculty members, but got very little out of them.

Unlike in China, Thai society is extremely tolerant of the LGBT community. On university campuses, such incidents rarely cause a stir or go unnoticed, and are certainly not considered some earth-shattering secret that needs to be hidden. After asking around, no one could give a clear answer; it was as if it were just a fleeting rumor.

“It seems that conventional methods won’t work.” Jiang Jin took a deep breath and decided to use his professional abilities as a Level 2 Ghost Hunter.

The LV2 Ghost Hunter has a skill called "Evil Spirit Pursuit," which is based on Ghost Eyes and requires a certain price to be paid.

Unlike in LV1, when learning professional skills was extremely difficult due to a lack of Resentment Ashes, Jiang Jin has now absorbed enough Resentment Crystals and is adept at adapting to rule pollution within the Mysterious Layer. He can even control the rule pollution in the shallower Lost Layer to a certain extent.

A flash of pain suddenly appeared in his dark eyes, and the next moment, he actually gouged out his right eyeball with his bare hands!
Lin Lu was so frightened by what she saw that she almost screamed.

Although Jiang Jin had told Lin Lu about the Ghost Hunter's professional abilities, he was still trembling with fear when he saw someone gouge out an eyeball.

The whole process was incredibly fast; not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. Instead, a faint green energy permeated the area.

Instead of turning the energized eyeball into a bullet, he crushed it in his palm!
puff!
The eerie green energy exploded like smoke, turning into ashes of resentment that quickly merged into the surrounding air and seeped into the pollution layer.

These ashes, like countless tiny scouts, began to spread throughout the contaminated layer of the entire campus. They would react to and track the recently active and powerful ghostly auras, especially focusing on scanning the vicinity of where the boy had just been murdered.

"Let's go, let's follow our instincts." Jiang Jin's right eye had regenerated rapidly, but his face was paler, clearly indicating that he had expended a lot of energy. Relying on his weak connection with those green energy particles, he led Lin Lu to search the school.

However, after walking around most of the campus, passing through teaching buildings, the library, and the gymnasium, Jiang Jin's senses remained very weak and intermittent. The terrifying force hidden deep within seemed to be extremely adept at concealment, or rather, its activity range was not limited to the physical space of the campus, but rather to a deeper layer of pollution, greatly reducing the effectiveness of [Evil Spirit Pursuit].

Got nothing.

It was lunchtime, so the two had no choice but to head to the school cafeteria for lunch. University cafeterias in Thailand are usually good value for money and open to the public; you can eat anywhere as long as you pay.

They ordered a Krabok Moo Sab, one of Thailand's most classic fast food dishes, featuring spicy stir-fried minced pork with basil leaves topped with rice and a perfectly fried egg; a Kuay Teow Neua, a Thai beef noodle soup with a clear and flavorful broth, tender beef slices, and smooth noodles. They also ordered two iced Cha Yen Thai milk teas.

The two found a corner to sit down. Jiang Jin took out his phone, pulled up the live feed from the "Sweet Home" security cameras, placed it on the table, and cautiously observed the situation at home while eating.

Everything in the scene was as usual, eerily quiet.

Jiang Jin was very worried about Deathstroke's condition; the complete and isolated sensation made him uneasy.

While eating, Lin Lu anxiously flipped through the handwritten copy of "The Secrets of Guletai Black Magic," muttering to herself, "Is there any black magic... that can locate or summon lost spirits? Maybe it can help Sang Zhong find his way back..."

Looking at her serious expression, anyone who didn't know better would think that she and Deathstroke had known each other for a long time and had developed a deep relationship.

Jiang Jin speculated that she might have transferred her guilt and longing for her own cat, which had died tragically, onto Deathstroke, who had protected her.

Just then, a change occurred in the mobile phone surveillance footage!
Lucky, the calico cat, had somehow walked up to the front of the master bedroom's security camera. It lazily licked its paws, then suddenly seemed to hear or see something, abruptly raising its head and looking towards the camera, its heterochromatic eyes seemingly glowing.

Then, it surprisingly let out an extremely cheerful, almost spoiled, meow: "Meow... Awooo..."

Lucky's tail was held high and swayed back and forth. It even rolled on the ground and exposed its belly, as if it was trying to win favor from some unseen being!
This reaction... is definitely not directed at Jiang Jin or Lin Lu!
When they were at home, Lucky wasn't exactly shy, but she had never been so enthusiastic and ingratiating!

Jiang Jin stared intently at Lucky's unusual behavior on the screen, a chill creeping up his spine with each glance. A terrifying suspicion resurfaced, growing ever clearer.

He looked up at Lin Lu and said in a low, serious voice, "Lucky... it might not have been Atai and Lu Ni's cat from the beginning. It might have been the cat that 'third person' kept before he died... or even more terrifyingly—it is itself an incarnation or a part of that 'third person'! That's why it shows such affection to that unseen being!"

Lin Lu felt a chill run down her spine and forgot to chew the food in her mouth.

She was, after all, just a young girl who had only recently entered this world, and the series of terrifying speculations put her under immense psychological pressure.

"We must find more clues!" Jiang Jin made up his mind. "This afternoon we'll go to Patpong district again! Patpongsong's death is one clue, and that old witch is another!"

At the same time, he began to rapidly consider his Level 2 Cunning Lawyer abilities.

[Rule Debate]...Can we simply modify the rules to allow the ghost's true form to be revealed?

He focused his mind, attempting to devise a plan to tamper with the rules:
Attempt 1: Modify the first rule, "[Only Atai, Lu Ni, and the calico cat Lucky live in the house]," to "[Atai, Lu Ni, the calico cat Lucky, and a third 'person' live in the house, whose true form is always in the master bedroom]." Result: Failure! The right eye received feedback: The modified content involves directly locating an unknown higher being, far exceeding the current skill level and ability range. The rule logic cannot handle this information; the modification is invalid.

Attempt 2: Modified rule 7: "[A serving of mango sticky rice will always appear in the refrigerator every day]" to "[A serving of mango sticky rice will always appear in the refrigerator every day, and the ghost that made it will remain in the kitchen for one hour after the sticky rice appears]". Failed! System feedback: Same as Attempt 1, unable to locate directly; the rule cannot restrict the ghost's movement range.

Attempt 3: Modify Rule 5, "[If you see the back of an unfamiliar woman wearing a hair clip at home]", to "[If you see the back of an unfamiliar woman wearing a hair clip at home, the back will remain visible for one minute, pointing in the direction of her true form]". Failed! System feedback: Forcing a higher being to remain visible and point in the direction of the true form requires rule corruption distortion power far exceeding the LV2 limit; the modification is ineffective.

After three consecutive failures, Jiang Jin realized that it was impossible to trick the BOSS into showing up directly.

The system's limitations and the strength of the dungeon boss both dictate that he must follow the rules step by step to find clues and deduce the true identity.

In the afternoon, the two returned to that familiar alley in the Patpong district, filled with ambiguous neon lights and noisy music.

Jiang Jin tried asking a fruit stall owner by the roadside, "Sir, do you know a master named Pengba Song at the Phantom Massage parlor around here? It's said he has profound Buddhist knowledge..."

He deliberately used a more vague and respectful form of address.

The fruit stall owner's previously enthusiastic smile froze instantly, his eyes flickered, and he quickly waved his hand, saying, "I don't recognize it, I don't recognize it! What Pompasong? Never heard of it!"

After saying that, he lowered his head to arrange the fruit and stopped looking at them.

They asked several more people, and the reactions were all the same: they all looked blank and said they had never heard of the name.

Jiang Jin's heart sank. He led Lin Lu back to the entrance of the "Phantom Massage Parlor" deep in that narrow alley.

However, the scene before them stunned them.

The massage parlor's roller shutter door was pulled shut tightly, with a brand-new padlock hanging on it.

The once-flashing "Phantom" sign is gone, and the neon lights at the entrance have been removed. Most noticeably, a printed "For Rent" notice is pasted on the roller shutter door, along with a contact number.

All of this indicates that the store has been closed for some time.

"This... how is this possible?" Lin Lu said in a low voice in surprise.

Jiang Jin's sharp eyes scanned his surroundings.

He walked over to a small shop selling adult products next door, pointed to the closed door of the massage parlor, and asked, "Excuse me, do you know why this massage parlor suddenly closed? It seemed to be open yesterday."

The shop owner was a thin, middle-aged man. He glanced at the massage parlor, shook his head, and said, "I don't know. It's been closed for several days. It just suddenly closed, and nobody knows why."

It's been closed for several days?
What place did Jiang Jin come from before?
"What about the original owner and employees? Do you know someone named Pompadour?" "No, I've never seen him. People come and go here, who can remember them all?" The owner turned around to organize the shelves after saying that, clearly not wanting to talk any further.

I asked several nearby shops, and the answers were surprisingly consistent: I don't know, I'm not sure, I didn't notice, it seems like they've been closed for a while.

It was as if an invisible hand had erased all traces of Pompadour and the "Phantom Massage Parlor" overnight. People's memories were distorted, physical evidence was wiped away, and everything returned to a state of "never happened" or "long ago ended." This power to distort reality is chilling.

"It seems this road is also blocked." Jiang Jin's expression was solemn.

"What about... that old woman? Could she know something? Or... could there be something wrong with that doll?"

Jiang Jin had tried calling the contact information the old witch had left behind, but all he heard was the message "The number you dialed is not in service"—it had been completely blocked.

They ventured once more into an even darker, damp back alley in search of the old witch.

The place reeked of garbage and was rife with clandestine transactions. Jiang Jin described the old witch's appearance to several people who seemed to be longtime residents.

At first, nobody paid any attention to them.

Only after Jiang Jin took out a few banknotes did a heavily made-up streetwalker, resting against the wall, hesitate before accepting the money. She lowered her voice and mysteriously told them, "You mean that strange old woman... she suddenly came running back in a panic, like she was being chased by a ghost! She haphazardly stuffed her tattered belongings into a sack and then hurried away. She didn't even hold onto her basket of bottles and jars, which she always carried, and broke several of them... We asked her what happened, but she wouldn't say. She just kept muttering 'It's over, it's over,' 'I shouldn't have touched it,' 'It's terrifying!' It seems she ran away. As for where she went, who knows? Maybe she went back to her hometown to hide?"

The old witch ran away too! And she fled in utter terror!

The last remaining external clue has been completely cut off.

All traces were cleanly and efficiently erased, and all those who knew the truth either disappeared, remained silent, or fled to distant lands.

Jiang Jin and Lin Lu stood on the bustling streets of Bangkok, yet felt a chilling coldness and isolation.

They are now facing an extremely ferocious and vengeful ghost.

Hidden deep within the "Sweet Home," its tentacles seem to extend to every corner of Bangkok, silently controlling everything.

Every step from here on will be more difficult and dangerous.

Both leads have been completely cut off.

Having gained nothing, the two returned to their oppressive "sweet home" in the evening.

Jiang Jin immediately opened the refrigerator—sure enough, a fresh mango sticky rice dish was sitting there quietly.

The rusty animal traps he set near the refrigerator showed no signs of being triggered.

Later, Lin Lu found a long, slightly curly black hair on the pillow in the master bedroom!

"This hair..."

It is obvious that this is definitely not Lin Lu's hair.

Following the instructions in Rule 8, the two carefully picked up the hair with a tissue and placed it in the copper bowl in front of the Buddhist shrine on the second floor.

After doing all this, Jiang Jin recalled the strange behavior of the calico cat in the master bedroom, and his doubts deepened.

Lubana arrived on time that evening.

Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying for a long time.

After sitting down in the living room, she began a long, emotional outpouring, recounting her pain and repression, saying she felt like she was suffocating. But after listening for a while, I still couldn't understand what she was talking about.

She even rolled up her sleeve, revealing a faint, scabbed scratch on her wrist: "You see... I even tried... with a utility knife... but it hurt too much... I ultimately didn't have the courage..."

Utility knife!

Jiang Jin looked at Lubana, becoming wary. Could she be a vengeful ghost who had already died? Had she actually succeeded in committing suicide?
Jiang Jin listened patiently and finally got to the point: "Lubana, did you come to my house just to complain? Or is there something else you want to say? Tell me quickly, maybe you'll feel better."

Lubana took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and said, "Atai, I... Saran and I... we've decided to leave Thailand together."

Jiang Jin was taken aback.

What... what does this have to do with Saran?

He didn't react for a moment.

Lubana looked at him, tears streaming down her face again: "We...we love each other! But our parents are desperately trying to stop us, thinking it's a disease, a disgrace...Palang has been pursuing me, putting pressure on my family. I...I even suspect that his sudden disappearance might be because he discovered something, or...I'm really scared...Palang's parents are both abroad, and now he's vanished, we can't contact his family..."

Jiang Jin's brain went blank for a moment!

It took a long time!

The so-called earth-shattering secret!
The secret that drove Rubana to the brink of suicide!
It was this?!

So the rumors circulating at school back then were about them?! So Palon's pursuit became a huge pressure for her?! So she's worried that Palon's disappearance is related to them?!
Jiang Jin was practically laughing in anger! He thought it was some earth-shattering secret, but it turned out to be something like this? What does this have to do with Atai? What does it have to do with the ghost at "Sweet Home"? What does it have to do with the woman wearing the hair clip?!

Just as Jiang Jin was about to roar inwardly, a clear meow suddenly came from upstairs—"Meow..."

Jiang Jin immediately became alert, gave Lin Lu a wink, signaling her to stay with Lubana, while he got up and quickly went upstairs to check.

He needed to calm down and also needed to check the situation upstairs.

Downstairs, Lin Lu looked at Lubana, who was crying her eyes out, and felt quite understanding and sympathetic towards her.

She quickly comforted her, "Lubana, don't cry! I... I support you! There's nothing wrong with pursuing love! Really! Wait here, I'll go make you a cup of coffee. The most important thing in life is to be happy!"

With that, Lin Lu got up and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

She skillfully ground the beans and brewed them, trying to make her movements appear calm.

After a while, she returned to the living room with two cups of hot coffee and handed one of them to Lubana.

Lubana took the coffee, thanked her softly, and seemed to have calmed down a little. She looked up, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and suddenly looked puzzled, asking casually:
"Lu Ni, who is that person?"

Lin Lu was taken aback by the question and subconsciously replied, "That person? What 'that person'?"

Lubana gestured with her chin toward the stairs and said, "Oh, I was crying with my head down and didn't notice. When I looked up, I saw a woman walking upstairs... She looked quite thin from behind, with long hair, and wearing several... sparkly hair clips?"

(End of this chapter)