Chapter Eighteen: Trouble Arises (Part One)

“Don’t be too sad. Ran has always been tough, even as a child. Once, he fell into the water but nothing happened to him! He’ll get through this, I know he will!” Fan Beixiao glanced at Guo Ting, who sat silently at the edge of the hospital bed, and tried to comfort her. Inwardly, Fan Beixiao sighed. Everyone was well aware of Lin Ran’s condition—unless a miracle happened, he wouldn’t make it this time.

Just as Fan Beixiao was sinking into despair, he felt something hard in his pocket. Suddenly, he remembered spotting a notebook near Lin Ran earlier; the situation had been so urgent that he hadn’t had the chance to look at it closely. He quickly took it out, and as his eyes scanned the contents, shock registered on his face. By the time he read the final line, he could no longer stay seated; the color drained from his cheeks.

“Guo Ting! This is beyond anything we could have imagined! This is out of our hands now!” He handed the notebook to Guo Ting.

She took it and, after reading, her face turned ashen, her large eyes filled with uncontainable fear.

“Bei, is there really… in that villa?” Though she seemed less frightened than before, she was still clearly at a loss.

“Yes! It’s haunted!” Fan Beixiao nodded gravely.

“What should we do? Should we tell Inspector Wang?” With Lin Ran unconscious, Guo Ting had begun to see him as the anchor of their little group.

“We have to tell him! Otherwise, more of our colleagues could be hurt! For now, you stay with Ran, and I’ll go straight to the station to report everything to Inspector Wang. I’ll hand over the notebook and the video recorder too—that way, he might finally believe us!” Fan Beixiao glanced at Lin Ran on the bed and made up his mind.

“Alright.” Guo Ting nodded. At the moment, this seemed to be the best course of action.

Fan Beixiao grabbed the video recorder and notebook, left the hospital, and headed straight to the station. Guo Ting prayed that no one else would get hurt, and hoped Fan Beixiao would reach the station before any more actions were taken.

“Is Inspector Wang in?” As soon as Fan Beixiao arrived at the station, he rushed toward Wang Changhai’s office, stopping a colleague along the way. The hurried pace and anxious faces of the officers in the hall filled him with foreboding.

“He’s in his office!” The colleague pointed toward Wang Changhai’s door before hurrying off.

Fan Beixiao glanced at the office door, then rushed over.

“Report!” He knocked.

“Come in!” Wang Changhai’s voice called from within.

“Oh, it’s you. What is it?” Wang Changhai looked up. He still remembered Fan Beixiao—the one who had taken that photo with the woman’s shadow.

Fan Beixiao saw Wang Changhai packing his gear, tucking his service pistol into his belt. He felt a surge of relief—he’d arrived just in time! He’d suspected since Wang Changhai saw that photo, he’d want to investigate further.

“Sir, I have something important to report!” Fan Beixiao handed over the notebook and video recorder.

“What’s this?” Wang Changhai asked, eyeing the items with suspicion.

“These are some gadgets I made myself. The notebook was found in the villa,” Fan Beixiao replied honestly. He couldn’t risk more innocent colleagues falling victim—it was too late for caution.

“You all went to that villa?” Wang Changhai’s voice rose sharply as he read what was written in the notebook.

“Yes, sir.” Fan Beixiao gritted his teeth and nodded.

“Was it you?” Wang Changhai asked without looking up, examining the miniature video recorder. Noticing a memory card, he removed it, plugged it into a USB adapter, and opened the contents on his computer.

“No, it was Lin Ran,” Fan Beixiao answered, realizing there was no point in hiding the truth.

“And where is he now?” Wang Changhai seemed unsurprised, as if expecting this outcome.

“He’s hurt. Still in the hospital.”

“Outrageous!” Wang Changhai slammed the desk in anger.

“As a trainee officer, you’re not authorized to act without my orders! Who told you to go off on your own?” His face flushed with fury, his eyes bulged.

“Sir, this was my idea! I’ve always suspected something was wrong with that villa!” Fan Beixiao knew he’d made a huge mistake; he might even get fired for this.

“You? Hmph! I doubt you’d have the guts!” Wang Changhai shot him a scornful glare.

Fan Beixiao said nothing; he knew no explanation would change Wang Changhai’s mind.

“Just wait! When I get back, I’ll deal with all of you! Go write a ten-thousand-word self-critique right now!” Wang Changhai barked, eyes blazing.

“Sir! Inspector Wang! Please, I have something to say!” Fan Beixiao hurriedly stopped him as he prepared to leave.

“What? We’ll talk when I get back!” Wang Changhai snapped.

“Sir, it’s a matter of life and death! It concerns the cause of death of the villa’s owner!” Fan Beixiao grew anxious when Wang Changhai wouldn’t listen.

“What did you find? Speak!” Wang Changhai demanded impatiently.

“They were killed by a ghost! That’s why there was no trace left behind!” Fan Beixiao braced himself and told the truth.

“Nonsense! Do you think you can get away with this just because your dad was in the army? Let me remind you, this is the police station, not your backyard!” Wang Changhai exploded in anger.

“I’m telling the truth! Ran is still lying in the hospital!” Fan Beixiao’s face turned red as he insisted.

“Inspector Wang! The car is ready!” Just then, another officer called from outside.

“Hmph! Just you wait—when I get back, I’ll deal with you!” With that, Wang Changhai stormed out, got into the car, and left.

Fan Beixiao watched him go, filled with regret. He hadn’t managed to stop him after all. Helpless, he could only return to the hospital to check if Lin Ran had woken up.