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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 101: Dead Loop (Part Nine)
The dead are gone. Although I possess Mediumship, I still have to rely on the right circumstances. The deceased must be willing to communicate with you, and only in the absence of harmful intentions can one perceive messages from another world. There are many forms of Mediumship; for instance, there were times when my grandfather held me underwater, allowing me brief contact with Spirits to gain knowledge from him, which also carried its own dangers.
In that unknown realm, evil lurks everywhere. Once they seize an opportunity, they will swarm out through the spiritual door I opened. Therefore, every time I engage in Mediumship, my grandfather ensures everything is prepared before proceeding.
The funeral home is also a gathering place for Spirits. If someone with a weak constitution enters this place, they will feel an overwhelming chill.
After finishing a cigarette, I thought Chiang had enough time by now. I couldn't just sit here bored any longer. As I picked up that special cigarette and prepared to leave, a furious shout rang out: "Take your ashes with you!" A cloud of smoke swirled up as I saw a blurry figure holding a broom glaring at me in anger.
I was taken aback and quickly apologized before turning to leave.
The funeral home is the resting place for the dead. The person I encountered earlier must have been a Cleaner at the funeral home, still working even in death. I couldn't help but smile wryly; it was my first time being scolded by an unknown ghost, and it was indeed my fault. I shouldn't have smoked there, let alone dropped ashes on the floor.
Hastily walking past the door marked "Number Three Morgue," it creaked open suddenly. I couldn't help but glance inside. The Number Three Morgue was an ordinary room without any floral arrangements—just a single coffin.
There was no portrait hanging above the coffin.
The open door felt like an invitation from a Spirit to communicate with me, so I paused and approached the half-open door.
Morgues are always so cold and eerie. It felt as if air conditioning was blowing from all directions, sending chills down my neck. Where there’s a coffin, there’s bound to be a corpse; the key point being that this body lying in the coffin had just spoken to me moments ago.
Disheveled and unkempt, he wore a work uniform stained with grease.
"Hey there, you startled me earlier. What trick do you have up your sleeve this time?" This time I played it smart; I took out a cigarette but didn’t light it—just held it in my mouth while pulling out another one and gently placing it on the coffin lid. Looking at the "person" inside the coffin who smiled wryly, I continued: "You have no descendants or wealth; you've lived in poverty all your life. You just want me to help you pass on." Changing my posture to half-squat while balancing against the transparent coffin lid, I whispered: "Tell me about that vacant coffin earlier. Do you know Chiang? If it's inconvenient for you to come out now, I'll wait; I've got all the time in the world." Standing up, I tapped three times on the transparent Coffin Lid: "This is our signal."
Afterward, I slightly closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, silently counting: one, two, three—knock knock knock! Three knocks echoed back from the wall—neither more nor less—and then a cold breath brushed against my ear. I didn’t open my eyes for fear of scaring him away.
That icy breath lacked any warmth and distinctly pressed against my ear: "The Girl has been taken; the death game has just begun." Upon hearing this, I suddenly opened my eyes—the same coffin remained unchanged, and the corpse inside was still there; the voice just now felt hollow and unreal.
Pondering this revelation, I exited Room Three Morgue and crossed through the viewing area to reach the waiting room. From the entrance of the waiting room, I could see an expansive green area outside with a fish pond and a dedicated path for funerals—all deserted under dark clouds that loomed over the entire funeral home.
Looking outside from my position felt like the onset of nightfall, with the entire funeral home area shrouded in darkness. My gaze traversed the winding decorative corridors, streetlights, and green leisure areas until it landed on the main entrance.
A guard sat casually on a stool, flipping through a book, while the door remained closed. Two middle-aged men, Uncle Lin and Uncle Zhang, stood at the entrance, glancing around. I hurried out, the surroundings still quiet and silent, but I couldn't help but wonder where the guard had gone just moments ago.
"Hey, how did you get in here?" The guard finally noticed me, standing up in shock and glaring at me.
I produced my identification, along with my Mortician certificate and Chiang's ID, handing them over: "I'm here to see the Deceased and fulfill what his parents asked of me."
"You must be joking. It's Saturday afternoon; no one is working today. Besides, I've been here the whole time and haven't seen anyone come or go. How did you get in?"
"I just walked in; do I look like I can turn invisible? I don't have that kind of ability!" I spread my arms wide. If he wanted to check for keys or anything else on me, he could. The only documents I had were a few unused talismans.
I had seen those things earlier; surely someone was there. Why would I be foolish enough not to use a talisman for suppression? In a place like this, one should tread carefully; a funeral home is not a place where you can recklessly suppress malevolent thoughts.
If you provoke anger, you guarantee that you'll regret it.
The guard was helpless; he couldn't do much to me. I hadn't stolen anything or taken a body. Finally, he waved his hand impatiently: "Alright then, just go."
As I stepped outside, Uncle Lin and Uncle Zhang chimed in unison: "Look at the time; you've been inside for two hours!"
What?! Two hours? It felt like I had only been in there for a moment! Once in the car, Uncle Zhang asked again: "How did it go?"
I carefully folded the Soul Absorbing Talisman and placed it into a secure Dao Bottle, nodding: "Pretty good; let's go!" The journey back was smooth, and along the way, Uncle Lin informed me: "Aren't you curious about my son Lin Tai?"
"Of course!"
Uncle Lin stared ahead, his stern face embodying all the qualities of a mature man. I believed his wife must have had exceptional insight as well.
"He can't remember who anyone is right now. He eats when he's hungry, drinks when he's thirsty, sleeps when he's tired. Afterward, he locks himself in his room without a clue about what he's doing. We hardly exchange words; his mother and I don't know if he's pretending to be foolish or if he genuinely wants to drive us crazy. In any case, something bad happened between him and Chiang. One ended up dead while the other turned out like this."
"It would be best if I could see him."
I realized that my request was a bit inappropriate, and I regretted it as soon as I spoke. After all, what do I do for a living? They would definitely not agree to let me see their living son. Sure enough, Uncle Lin smiled bitterly and said, "I can't make that decision."
"It's fine. I used to think I was making money off dead people too. When Chiang had an issue, his father came to me, and after much consideration, I didn't agree."
Uncle Lin seemed displeased upon hearing this: "Are you threatening me?"
"No, no, I'm really not. Uncle Lin, you're overthinking it; I was just making an analogy." Damn, the more I explained, the more confused it became; it was like digging a deeper hole for myself. I decided to keep quiet and not think about anything else, just focusing on what would happen with the Spirit I was taking home.
As for my involvement with the Spirit, it was a necessary means to an end. I had seen that Chiang's spirit was absent when I visited his home, but that fleeting girl seemed suspicious. However, I couldn't just capture any spirit indiscriminately; that would cross a line.
So I could only pretend to agree to see it under the pretense of wanting to express condolences for Chi Ruiqiang's son, and then find Chiang's spirit to take it away using the Soul Absorbing Talisman. However, I had an unsettling premonition that something would follow me when I took Chiang's spirit.
What followed was certainly not that scruffy old man but someone else entirely.
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