Bai Yulao: The Night Watcher's Debt to the King of Hell

The night market downstairs from the hospital is what Lin Shoumo called the "Midnight Diner".

Lin Shoumo sat by the steaming hot oden, its aroma filling the air, but Su Wantang across from him ate with no appetite. She had too many doubts and questions in her mind, otherwise she wouldn't have sought out this charlatan, Lin Shoumo.

Lin Shoumo sat opposite her, holding a string of konjac noodles in his hand, eating without any regard for appearances, but his seemingly lazy eyes were fixed on Su Wantang's feet.

The dim yellow light from the overhead chandelier cast the two people's shadows onto the oil-stained floor.

Lin Shoumo's shadow lengthened and shortened with his movements, its outline remaining clear.

As for Su Wantang's shadow... its edges were blurry and indistinct. Even when she didn't move at all, the shadow was still twisting strangely to the left, as if trying to escape from behind her heels.

"Senior sister..."

Lin Shoumo swallowed the konjac noodles in his mouth, casually tossed the bamboo skewer aside, and his voice suddenly turned deep:

"Although our philosophy department emphasizes 'I think, therefore I am,' shouldn't you explain this physical 'existence' to me?"

He pointed to the ground:

"Your shadow almost 'ran away from home' just now! If you hadn't been holding on, it would have already disappeared into a crack in the ground!"

Su Wantang looked down at the gray, mold-covered shadow at her feet, and her grip on the chopsticks tightened slightly.

She was silent for a few seconds, then put down her chopsticks, looked up at Lin Shoumo with a complicated expression, and asked, "What happened? Didn't you say... everything was alright?"

Lin Shoumo took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "I did manage to absorb the evil energy from last time!"

But it came back again, which means there's something on you, or rather, after I absorbed the evil energy, you came into contact with something carrying evil energy again!

"Something with malevolent energy? You mean the evidence?" Su Wantang frowned.

"Evidence? What kind of evidence could carry such a powerful aura?!" Lin Shoumo put down his chopsticks and frowned.

"Top secret police information!" Su Wantang glanced around to make sure the boss was dozing in the kitchen before continuing, "Remember that unfinished building area in the west of the city? That's now an asset under the Guixu Group!"

Lin Shoumo nodded, his expression becoming solemn. It was a forbidden area in Nandu City, where ghost stories were rampant.

Three hikers went on an expedition two weeks ago. When they came out, only two of them were there; the third had vanished into thin air!

Su Wantang lowered her voice even further, as if the place were right next to her ear, "What's even stranger is that the two survivors, after being taken to the hospital, were found by the nurses combing their hair in front of the mirror, with the person in the mirror having their back to them!"

"When I did rounds at night, I shone a flashlight over the area, and it was exactly the same situation I'm in now—no shadow on the ground!"

Su Wantang stared into Lin Shoumo's eyes: "Tell me, is this really haunted?"

Lin Shoumo tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a habit he had when he was thinking.

"You mean, you also touched something, which caused the evil energy to come knocking? What is that piece of evidence?"

"A ring!" Su Wantang took out a photo from her pocket and pushed it in front of Lin Shoumo. In the photo, a strangely shaped ring was sealed in an evidence bag.

The material resembles a piece of blackened bone, with a cloudy ruby ​​set in the ring face, like a closed eye.

"This is the only keepsake left behind by the missing hiker. Before he disappeared, he gave this ring to two people traveling with him, and then these strange things started happening!"

"This ring... its material..." Lin Shoumo looked at the photo, a chill running down his spine. He recognized the red stone on the ring!

"Everyone who has come into contact with this ring will initially experience a fading shadow, followed by mental confusion, and finally... just like those two survivors, they will completely lose their shadow!"

Su Wantang put the photo away and said softly, "The ring is currently locked in a special lead box in the police station's evidence department. Old Li from the station said that only there can barely suppress its yin energy!"

"We're going to the police station!" Lin Shoumo instantly understood her intention, stood up, and said, "To see that ring!"

Aren't you afraid?

"Scared? I'm scared that if I'm late, your shadow will really disappear!" Lin Shoumo curled his lip, grabbed his coat and draped it over his shoulders. "Your junior brother has real skills to rely on!"

"You said it yourself, don't end up scared out of your wits!" Su Wantang looked unconvinced...

The two walked out of the night market, and Su Wantang drove the black SUV through the empty streets of Nandu, heading straight for the city police station.

The carriage was quiet, with only the slight hum of the air conditioning vents.

The car drove through a long tunnel, the headlights casting pale streaks of light on the windows.

Lin Shoumo, sitting in the passenger seat, was jokingly criticizing Su Wantang's driving skills, but his smile suddenly froze after the car had turned two blocks.

His hand was pressed against his chest.

Hanging there was a small, rusted ancient bell, a magical artifact he used to detect malevolent energy. Normally, it was lifeless and dull, like a piece of scrap metal, but now…

The bronze bell was heating up.

It not only generates heat, it also vibrates.

An extremely subtle, high-frequency vibration traveled along Lin Shoumo's sternum into his eardrum, producing a buzzing sound that only he could hear.

The sound didn't sound like an alarm; it sounded more like... excitement.

A kind of excitement, like smelling blood and knowing that dinner is about to be served.

"Senior Sister!" Lin Shoumo suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the car. He didn't turn to look at her, but stared into the darkness ahead, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"What? Regretting it?" Su Wantang gripped the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"No!" Lin Shoumo looked down at his chest. The bronze bell was vibrating more and more intensely, even burning his skin. "My little bell is excited! It's telling me we've come to the right place!"

He raised his head, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips:

"Usually, it only gets this excited in one situation—there's something big in front of it, big enough to 'feed' it! That ring is probably more than just evidence; it could be a key!"

Su Wantang stepped on the gas, and the car's speed increased instantly.

"Your little bell?" Su Wantang gripped the steering wheel with one hand and tidied her hair with the other. "If it eats that evidence, will my shadow be able to turn back?"

The car roared out of the tunnel, and the imposing silhouette of the police station building came into view.

But at that moment, Lin Shoumo suddenly pressed his body against the car window, staring intently at the direction of the police station building.

"I'm not sure, but I'm certain that the ring has a very strong malevolent aura, look!"

Su Wantang followed his gaze.

The police station building was pitch black, except for a dim yellow light shining from the evidence room on the top floor.

And in front of that only bright window, there seemed to be two people standing!

Su Wantang exclaimed in surprise, "That's the room where those two hikers are being held! They're still awake so late?"

Suddenly, the bronze bell on Lin Shoumo's chest emitted a clear "ding," echoing throughout the enclosed carriage: "No! That wasn't a person, it was their vanished shadow!"