C23 Soul Extraction

Ms. Liu switched off the screen without uttering a word. Wu Yi then asked, "Could it be someone else?"

I turned my gaze to Ms. Liu as well.

Ms. Liu spoke calmly, "This isn't the first time something like this has happened. The previous office worker, Yu Er, claimed multiple times before his death that he saw someone coming to take his life in the middle of the night. He believed that if he didn't return to the unit, he would die. Granted, he was out of his mind by then, so his words weren't entirely reliable. However, the surveillance footage did show that he kept appearing at the unit at night, continuing his work, after the incident occurred."

"What are you implying?" I asked.

Wu Yi whispered, "Are you suggesting that person is Lee Fan?"

Ms. Liu nodded affirmatively, "Exactly, it's him!"

"That's impossible," I protested. "I'm not Sun Wukong; I can't split myself in two. If I had that kind of power, I'd be starring in TV dramas!"

Ms. Liu said with detachment, "It is indeed you—it's your soul!"

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at her. "My soul? Are you saying I experienced astral projection?"

"Listen," Ms. Liu urged, "we're in a critical situation. Yu Er forgot to close the spiritual staircase, and accidents have been happening one after another. The surveillance also shows him working in the unit post-accident. It wasn't just Yu Er; the two predecessors experienced similar incidents, and they all ended up dead. If the surveillance indeed captured your soul, it suggests you're not far from death yourself. When a person's physical body and soul separate, disaster is inevitable."

Confronted with danger, I found myself becoming more composed. The recent events had matured me significantly, and I realized that fear was futile. What was needed now was a serious analysis of the events and a plan for what to do next.

A persistent question nagged at me. "Why do you keep recruiting people for the Ghost Building, despite the ongoing troubles? And specifically, why look for someone born on April 4th?"

Ms. Liu paused, then explained, "You've witnessed the horrors within the Ghost Building. If those entities were to be released, the outcome would be catastrophic, with many more lives lost. The spiritual staircase and the main gate are the only means to contain them, but they require constant supervision. The reason for seeking individuals born on April 4th is that their life force naturally counteracts the Ghost Building's energy, making them less susceptible to ghostly possession. The reason we continuously recruit is simple—we don't want an endless cycle of death."

Ms. Liu spoke with a hint of excitement, "Did you know that the spiritual staircase and the Yang Gate in the Ghost Building need the Yang Qi of living people to operate properly? They can't be interrupted even for a day. Ideally, we should always have at least one backup person ready to step in if something goes wrong. But on the day Yu Er had his accident, our backup person vanished without a trace. With the situation being critical, I had no choice but to have my brother stand in. I traveled overnight to search for a replacement. The following morning, I got a call from our boss informing me that my brother had died."

Wu Yi and I were both enveloped in silence.

With a wry smile, Ms. Liu continued, "The police concluded that he died at quarter past eleven. That means he... well, he didn't even make it to shutting down the spiritual staircase. But let's not dwell on that. For now, Lee Fan, you're safe."

Curious, I asked her why she believed that.

Ms. Liu explained, "Ever since Yu Er forgot to close the elevator, strange things have been happening. He hung himself on the seventh day; his predecessor lasted nine days, and the one before that, eleven days. If we follow this pattern, you'd only have five days. But several sets of five days have already passed, haven't they?"

I couldn't help but shake my head and give a bitter laugh. "All of this is just speculative. It's not definitive. I could die tomorrow, and then you'd have to draw a new conclusion. Who can say for sure?"

Wu Yi offered a few words of comfort, promising that from that day on, he'd stay with me at the office until we'd resolved everything. Ms. Liu half-jokingly said, "If you manage to sort out the Ghost Building, you'll be known as Wu the Exorcist, and you'll likely become famous throughout the city."

Later that night, after Wu Yi and I had grabbed a late-night bite, we hurried back to the office. Wu Yi, concerned about potential nighttime disturbances, brought along several yellow talismans and a mixture of glutinous rice paste, which he applied to our shoes. We each carried a couple of the talismans with us.

As usual, Wu Yi sat lost in thought in the surveillance room, while I reclined on the sofa, gazing out the window.

Suddenly, Wu Yi asked me, "Have you noticed any patterns?"

I paused, thinking to myself that he was always a bit offbeat, especially when he spoke. "What kind of pattern?" I inquired.

"In general, the spiritual staircase closes right around midnight, correct?" Wu Yi proposed.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"So why does it need to close again the next day?" he continued.

I furrowed my brow, not quite catching his drift at first. After a moment's thought, it hit me. "The spiritual staircase is actually always in a state of closure unless someone activates it during the day. Logically, it should remain closed. So if the power to the spiritual staircase is off, why does it need to be turned on? And who would be the one to open it? It's not like the spiritual staircase can activate itself!"

Wu Yi nodded, affirming my analysis was on point. He mentioned that Ms. Liu had never brought up this issue.

I reflected, "Every day when I leave work, I head straight home, and the spiritual staircase has always been closed during that time. This means that after I leave, someone has been opening the spiritual staircase! It's very likely that person is Ms. Liu!"

Wu Yi concurred, noting the depth of the mystery, which seemed to suggest a layered conspiracy.

"You're just now sensing that?" I remarked. "I've been led down several blind alleys and am still somewhat in the dark."

I queried Wu Yi, "What about what Ms. Liu said regarding the soul leaving the body? Do you think it's credible?"

"She wouldn't deceive you, at least that's what I believe," Wu Yi responded.

"Do you trust her that much?" I asked.

"She's my employer. If I don't trust her, how can I work for her? You take someone's money, you deal with their troubles. If she deceives you, there's nothing you can do but accept it," he explained.

I shook my head. "You're thinking too simplistically, almost like a mule."

Wu Yi looked puzzled. "What's mule thinking?"

"It's like when someone whips you, you just move forward without considering whether to go left or right. If it hurts, you just change direction," I clarified.

"So, you mean brainless," Wu Yi concluded.

"Exactly," I agreed.

I shared with Wu Yi the encounter I had with Cripple Zhou's mother the other day. Wu Yi remarked that good people are rewarded, while the wicked receive their just deserts. Later, I caught up with my cousin, who mentioned that despite Cripple Zhou's malevolence, he knows when to hold back. That day, he recognized the danger and that's why he let us go. Had he resorted to underhanded tactics, there would have been consequences from someone.

"Are you suggesting that someone is secretly looking out for us?" I asked.

"That little girl!" Wu Yi exclaimed.

"What about her?" I inquired.

"She's your lifesaver," Wu Yi replied.

A chill ran down my spine as her voice and face came to mind. She could be endearing when she wanted to, but her stern demeanor could also be chilling. Death seemed like a trivial matter to her; she saw it as inevitable, no matter who it was. I pressed Wu Yi for clarification.

He explained that Ms. Liu had previously intended to use a hell wedding to alter the Ghost Building's energy, and I was the prime candidate. But then, she abruptly changed her mind. My cousin hinted that the little girl with me might be a formidable presence. This was just my speculation, though. Was Cripple Zhou intimidated by her, which is why he released us? And did Ms. Liu also fear her, hence her change of heart... Hmm?

Curiously, I hummed in anticipation of more details, but Wu Yi seemed to have lost the thread. Frustrated, I said, "Why do you always leave things hanging? It's quite suspenseful."

With a sense of resignation, I shook my head and pondered the situation.

"Lee Fan!" Wu Yi's sudden shout startled me, and he whispered urgently, "Come over here, quick."

"What's up?" I asked, leaning in to scrutinize the surveillance footage.

Wu Yi had zoomed in on the fourth-floor corridor's camera feed. A man in black emerged from a room and approached the elevator, his body hunched and his back to us in a peculiar, secretive manner.

"Watch him," Wu Yi instructed abruptly, "I'm going to check it out."

"Are you out of your mind?" I protested.

Wu Yi was adamant about taking the elevator. I couldn't fathom where he got the courage. Was he really willing to risk his life just because he was being paid to do a job? I was about to voice my concerns to Wu Yi, but before I could, he had already dashed off with his flashlight in hand.

I had a hunch that the man in the video was the one who kept the cat spirit, the so-called 'Wang Tao.' The real Wang Tao must have been his victim. It was a tit-for-tat situation: Wang Tao killed his cat, and in return, he killed Wang Tao. They were even. But if he was capable of killing Wang Tao, then Wu Yi... surely stood no chance against him.

A sense of dread washed over me, and I knew I had to hurry and find Wu Yi.

I made it to the elevator just as the doors were closing, and it began its ascent. "Wu Yi, you moron," I muttered under my breath. Deciding not to wait for the elevator, I opted for the stairs. But as soon as I opened the stairwell door, a chilling blast of air hit me, sending shivers down my spine. I've encountered my fair share of ghosts—eight if not ten—I'm not scared of anything.

As I entered the stairwell, I heard a noise from the lobby. Unsure if it was my imagination, I instinctively went back through the door. The first thing I noticed was the ajar door of the security room. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead as I gripped my security baton and tiptoed toward the room, cursing under my breath about the odd occurrences that seemed to follow my absence from work.

Peering into the surveillance room, I saw a familiar figure by the monitors, slurping instant noodles. I blinked, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. After a more focused look, the chilling realization hit me like a snowstorm—it was me!