C18 Strange Circle

Upon our arrival at the office, Ms. Liu and her group were already present. This time, she was accompanied by several men in suits who seemed to be waiting for us at the entrance. Wu Yi and I exchanged greetings with her in turn. Ms. Liu acknowledged us with a nod and mentioned that the boss was upstairs, offering to take us up to meet him.

My mind raced at the thought that the elusive owner of the Ghost Building had finally made an appearance. He must have been quite daring to venture to the second floor. It wasn't until I followed Ms. Liu upstairs that I realized Boss Wang was flanked by a number of oddly dressed bodyguards. The bald man with glasses, donning a colorful vest, was none other than Boss Wang, and beside him stood a Feng Shui master, who was busy fiddling with the floor and muttering to himself.

Ms. Liu confided in me that these individuals were experts Boss Wang had recruited from across the nation to tackle the building's mysterious occurrences. For a decade, many had attempted to solve the enigmas, yet none had succeeded, and some had even perished in the process. Ms. Liu then quietly brought up a name: Wang Tao!

She described Wang Tao as a talented individual who had taken a substantial sum from Boss Wang but had vanished after failing to resolve the issue. Initially, it was assumed he had absconded with the money, but to everyone's surprise, he had met his demise.

I urgently inquired, "How did you find out about Wang Tao's death?"

Ms. Liu revealed that his body was discovered in a second-floor storage room, already decomposing and in a horrific state, with clumps of unknown animal fur on his legs.

Before Ms. Liu could elaborate, I hurried to the storage room. The moment I stepped inside, the foul stench of decay hit me, and my suspicions intensified. Wang Tao had vanished after we dealt with the cat spirit the previous night. Even if he had fallen victim to another's malice, his body shouldn't have decomposed so rapidly; it defied scientific explanation.

Yet, the scene before me forced me to trust my own eyes. Wang Tao's body was not only putrid, but it had also deteriorated as if he had been dead for quite some time. His remains were swarmed with dark flies, some hopelessly ensnared and struggling. I bolted from the room, hand over mouth, just as Wu Yi arrived. After surveying the scene, his expression conveyed utter dismay. I queried his thoughts, to which he responded with a shake of his head, suggesting we wait for a professional assessment before drawing any conclusions.

Boss Wang approached me and inquired, "Was it you who dealt with the evil presence on the second floor?"

I replied, "It wasn't me."

"Then who was it?" he pressed.

All eyes in the room were on me as I said, "You might not believe me if I tell you, but it's the truth. It's the person lying in the storage room!"

To my surprise, their faces remained expressionless, while a look of sudden understanding crossed Boss Wang's polished face. A surge of dark anger rose within me, and I confronted Boss Wang, "If this building is haunted, why not tear it down? Are you aware of how many people have died here just in the past few days?"

Boss Wang looked taken aback, clearly not expecting such a direct confrontation. Ms. Liu hurried over, trying to defuse the situation, "He's new here; he doesn't understand."

I shrugged off Ms. Liu with a scoff, "Don't think I'm unaware of your schemes. Liu Rong, you recruited me because you coveted my Five Elements Fate, didn't you? You used me for a hell wedding, to curry favor with the female ghost, and then to dispose of these vile entities. You've all been using me."

For some inexplicable reason, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. My limbs grew icy, as if doused in cold water, and a mix of rage and remorse flooded me.

Would I be in this mess, dealing with a mix of the living and the dead, if I hadn't been desperate for money and taken this job?

The cat spirit on the second floor, the life-stealing female ghost on the third, Wang Tao on the seventh, the enigmatic man on the fourth...

Clutching my head, I exclaimed, "I'm fed up, damn it, truly fed up."

Ms. Liu gave me a look of incredulity, and then Wu Yi stepped forward, firmly grasping my shoulder, urging me to calm down. "I can't calm down," I protested. "How can I when I'm not even in control of my own life? Liu Rong, when will you stop exploiting me? I want a straight answer!"

Just then, I felt a heavy blow to the back of my head. I was about to explode in anger when my mind buzzed and I collapsed, dazed, to the floor. When I came to, Boss Wang and his entourage had departed, leaving only myself, Ms. Liu, and Wu Yi in the surveillance room.

Ms. Liu noticed I was awake and inquired, "Are you alright?" I nodded, then asked, "Who hit me?"

Wu Yi pointed to himself and murmured, "You were possessed by a ghost."

I retorted, "Go to hell, you're the one possessed!"

With a blank face, Wu Yi challenged me, "Now, think back. Do you remember what you did on the second floor?"

I replied, "I was just exposing their plot. If you were in my shoes, would you want to be manipulated like a puppet? Take Wang Tao as an example."

Wu Yi gestured toward Ms. Liu's forehead and then showed me his open palm. I noticed a reddish abrasion on Ms. Liu's forehead, and Wu Yi's palm was wrapped in thick bandages.

Noticing my confusion, Wu Yi explained, "You were threatening Ms. Liu with a fruit knife. I had to act quickly, pushing her to the ground and grabbing the knife from you. It took everyone's effort to restrain you. Do you remember any of this?"

I shook my head, stunned. I might doubt Ms. Liu, but I mostly believed Wu Yi; no one would slice open their own hand just to perpetuate a lie. The cost was too high when a simpler deception would suffice. "Is this true?" I asked.

Wu Yi remained silent, but Ms. Liu approached, fixing her gaze on me. "Lee Fan, is there some misunderstanding between us?" she asked.

I gave a cold smile. "Misunderstanding? May I ask you a few questions?"

Ms. Liu agreed.

"Why did you recruit me to work in the Ghost Building?"

"Your friend recommended you," Ms. Liu responded.

"And?" I pressed.

After a pause, Ms. Liu conceded, "Alright, I admit I instructed your friend to find someone born on April 4th, preferably from 1979. I never expected he'd actually recommend you. Initially, I only knew your birth date and that you had a strong character, unlikely to encounter ghosts. Only later did I realize you were the one fated to be involved."

"So, I'm just the easiest pawn for you to use, aren't I?" I concluded.

Ms. Liu remained unfazed by my sarcasm, responding with a tranquil composure. "Ask any questions that are weighing on your mind," she encouraged. "There are some things that it's time for you to know."

I snorted dismissively and pressed, "The red paper delivered to the 14th floor, with the birthdate written on it—what's that all about? It's connected to me, isn't it?"

"That's correct," Ms. Liu confirmed. "That's precisely why I urgently inquired about your birthdate when I first saw the red paper. The person whose birthday is on that paper is likely to have a significant karmic connection with you."

I spat out in contempt and went on, "The malevolent female ghost on the 14th floor—could a suitable man be found to enter into a hell wedding with her, to use her own ferocity to cleanse the building of evil spirits? Are you telling me you've never resorted to such measures?"

Ms. Liu shook her head.

Disappointed, I chuckled and probed, "Really?"

"No," Ms. Liu clarified, shaking her head again. "However, over three years ago, a nomadic sorcerer approached Boss Wang, claiming he could rid the Ghost Building of its curse. Boss Wang was prepared to pay him handsomely until he learned that the ritual required the sacrifice of a virgin. Boss Wang flatly refused the idea of exchanging a young man's life. The sorcerer later suggested a hell wedding as a solution to the malevolence. Boss Wang, concerned about the sorcerer's dubious methods, offered him 100,000 yuan instead, telling him that the building's issues were complex. He was welcome to investigate further, but Boss Wang advised against using such dark arts, lest they harm the innocent."

"Do you know Boss Wang's full name?" Ms. Liu inquired. "It's Wang Yishu!"

Wang Yishu? I was taken aback. The name rang a bell. Back in my hometown, there was a Yishu Primary School, named after a businessman—Wang Yishu—who had made a generous donation. He didn't stop there; he also contributed to the construction of a secondary school and sponsored over ten underprivileged students' education. Reflecting on my earlier outburst toward Wang Yishu, I was filled with remorse. I chided myself for not recognizing the true stature of the man before me.

Ms. Liu mentioned that Wang Yishu's reputation was well-known throughout the city. He had numerous avenues for earning money and certainly didn't need to rely on the appreciation of the Ghost Building to bolster his wealth. Besides, the building's value was trivial to him. In fact, this office building shared a mysterious connection with him. His determination to rid the building of its oddities stemmed from a personal history: sixty years ago, his mother gave birth to him there amidst the chaos of war, where life and death hung by a thread. Back then, the building was an ancient house that had saved the lives of him and his mother. It's understandable that anyone would feel a deep attachment to such a place, especially someone like him, whose net worth now exceeds a hundred million. Naturally, he wanted to invest a substantial amount of money to restore it.

Continuing her story, Ms. Liu recounted the tale of the eccentric warlock who ventured into the Ghost Building alone. After midnight, he ascended directly to the seventh floor using the spiritual staircase. No one knew his reasons for choosing the seventh floor or what his intentions were. The one thing that was certain, however, was that he never descended again.