"Furuya, are you almost ready?" Catherine asked as she entered his room with Xinyi in tow.
"Ugh, it reeks of guy in here," Xinyi said with a smirk, her eyes darting around the room before landing on Furuya. He shot her a look that could have melted steel.
"Well, I am a guy," Furuya retorted, "and yes, I'm nearly done. We're heading out early because I've managed to pull myself together." He exhaled heavily. "By the way, I got a few updates from Yasushi, and things are looking a bit off over there."
"What do you mean?" Xinyi inquired, making her way to a chair and settling into it with a relaxed posture.
"Well—" Furuya began, detailing the strange events of the past few days and what might transpire in the next day or two, depending on time zones. As he finished, a thoughtful silence fell over Xinyi and Catherine.
Xinyi gave a slow nod. "I heard about Yan Jia, and it's good they finally managed to get her out of their hair. But the other one — Zihan, I know... I know them too well."
"Well? Care to explain?" Furuya asked, his voice edged with impatience. Xinyi and Catherine exchanged glances before Catherine spoke up.
"Alright, so here's what we know," Catherine began. "From what I've gathered, their tactics have changed. They used to be pretty blatant about their actions, but now they've become more discreet. They still target people, but they've learned to operate under the radar, likely because they faced significant legal consequences before. They've adjusted their methods to avoid drawing attention."
Xinyi picked up the thread. "That's right. A few of my contacts have mentioned that they've refined their approach. The bullying is less overt, but it's still happening. They've gotten into trouble in the past, so now they're more careful, but they haven't really changed their nature."
Furuya frowned and moved on his bed, a furrow deepening on his forehead. "Can you be more specific? I mean, you moved later than Jingliu."
Xinyi took a moment, closing her eyes as she gathered her thoughts. The gravity of her words weighed on her, and when she spoke again, it was with a sober tone. "There was an incident at my school. They nearly killed a student."
Furuya's eyes widened in shock. "W-what? Please, elaborate. It's hard to believe they're still out there and not locked up."
"It happened after Jingliu had already left, so she's unaware of the whole situation. At that point, their bullying escalated significantly. It wasn't just bullying anymore; it felt more like outright torture," Xinyi said, her expression darkening as she recalled the event. "They targeted someone, knocked him unconscious — I don't know who the person was. After that, they drugged him, restrained him, and then displayed him in a grotesque imitation of a crucifixion. It took a whole day for anyone to find him. When they did, it was horrendous. He had soiled himself and was starving."
Furuya's eyes widened in disbelief, and he nearly shouted in his shock. "W-what!? How are they not in prison? That's not just bullying; it's a criminal act! They should have faced much harsher consequences. And you're saying they're still out there and planning to visit that haunted house with Yasushi and Jingliu?!"
Xinyi nodded thoughtfully and said, "But Yasushi and Jingliu will likely find out about this and come up with a plan to get those girls behind bars. Yasushi and Jingliu aren't fools."
Furuya's concern was palpable as he mumbled, "Still, I'm worried for my friend. Are those girls wealthy? They seemed to have gotten off lightly if they didn't face serious consequences."
"They aren't as wealthy as me or Jingliu," Xinyi replied, "but their parents hold well-paying positions. They managed to avoid significant prison time. I believe they were only required to complete community service for the next two years." She looked at Catherine, who gave a confirming nod.
"Yes," Catherine added, "but from what I've heard, they've been skirting their responsibilities. They either skip the service altogether or show up for just an hour, falsifying their hours and leaving early. One of their parents knows the supervisor there and doesn't believe the accusations against them, so he allows them to get away with it."
"Anyway, leave it to them. Yasushi and Jingliu are probably already aware of what's going on," Xinyi said as she rose from her seat, brushing off the conversation with a practiced ease. "That being said," she added with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I'm heading back home. We're leaving early tomorrow, so you two, try not to spend the entire night making noise, alright?" Her teasing tone left no room for misinterpretation as she exited the room, leaving Catherine and Furuya in a state of flustered embarrassment.
"Did she really have to say that?" Furuya muttered, his gaze fixed on the doorway where Xinyi had just disappeared.
Catherine couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. "Lady Xinyi has always been that way," she said with a smile, her voice carrying a note of fondness. "Anyway, let me tell you more about our home."
+-+
Yasushi lounged on a sofa in his new office, a space he'd just been introduced to that morning. Jingliu was nestled on his lap, her eyes closed as she rested from the fatigue of the early day. The table before them was adorned with an assortment of snacks, along with tea and coffee, set up to make their waiting more comfortable.
They were anticipating the results of the missions Yasushi had delegated to Jingliu's family staff. Despite it being only ten in the morning, they had been assured of prompt updates, which was why they were stationed here, ready for the news.
"How long does it usually take?" Yasushi inquired, his patience wearing thin.
"Soon enough~" Jingliu responded, her voice soft and soothing as she nuzzled against his thigh. She tilted her head to look up at him, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "You've asked that question twelve times in the last hour. Relax. Repeatedly asking won't speed things up."
As the conversation wound down, the door to the office opened, and Anfeng entered with Yinhaie by his side, accompanied by a new butler whom Yasushi had never seen before. Unlike Anfeng and Yinhaie, who had an unmistakable Chinese appearance, this butler was strikingly pale with vivid orange hair.
"We've gathered a lot of information about them, but the monitoring team is still tracking their movements for the rest of the day," Yinhaie explained, handing Yasushi and Jingliu clipboards filled with various documents. "We've also sent a team to make adjustments to the haunted house and to investigate the abandoned building further."
The new butler, standing next to Yinhaie and Anfeng, introduced himself. "I'm Cormac. Lady Jingliu is familiar with me, but this is our first meeting, Lord Yasushi. Skipping the formalities, I'm part of what you might call the 'riot squad' or whatever term you prefer for handling the more physical aspects of our operations."
He exhaled deeply and placed a stack of papers in front of himself. "I was assigned, along with my team, to investigate the haunted house renowned in our town. We uncovered some intriguing details about it. Please turn to page ten in your clipboards. While this isn't the full report yet, we might have additional information later in the day."
Jingliu and Yasushi followed his instructions, flipping to the designated page. Their eyes were immediately drawn to a series of compelling photographs.
"That building has stood in Mengyinhu for a considerable period and was once owned by a wealthy family," Cormac continued, pointing at the documents. "Skipping over some of the more routine information, about two hundred years ago, one of the sons who inherited the estate, along with his wife and three children, lost his sanity. The specifics of how he went mad are unclear, but he ended up murdering his entire family and tried to set the house ablaze, though he didn't succeed."
"So that's how the legend of it becoming a haunted house came to be? But... how? I doubt many people, especially those our age, are aware of its history unless they dig really deep. What's the actual story behind it?" Yasushi asked, his gaze fixed on Cormac.
Cormac nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, initially, teenagers did look into the history, but like many legends, the details become obscure and change over time. The current reputation of the house as a haunted place is partly due to the multiple murders that have occurred there and the infamous incident of the last owner killing his family. From what we've discovered today, the house is mostly abandoned and has been turned into a glorified dump, with just a few random items scattered about."
He turned the page and continued, "Considering what you plan to do with the property after tomorrow's operation, I believe there is potential to recoup the investment if handled properly. However, it's a complex project. Do you think you'll be able to manage it?"
"Dealing with that group of girls will be straightforward, especially with all the equipment we'll have at our disposal. As for what comes next, I'm confident it will work out fine," Yasushi said, his tone filled with assurance. "We'll educate them about the house's history and keep it open year-round for visits. Plus, transforming it into a haunted house attraction for Halloween should make it quite profitable. I'll handle the advertising — I know someone who can really create a buzz around it."
Cormac nodded in agreement and allowed Yinhaie and Anfeng to continue. Yinhaie took over, saying, "Our investigations revealed that the situation is even worse than we initially thought. If you go back to the first page of your documents, you'll see the horrific details of what they did to their victims, including the so-called 'crucifixion' incident. It's evident that they haven't ceased their activities but have become more covert. The operation you have planned for tomorrow should help in exposing them."
Yasushi's eyes moved methodically across the pages, taking in the disturbing accounts of Zihan and the girls' actions. His anger simmered just beneath the surface, but he maintained his composure. He noticed that Jingliu was visibly struggling to process the information but was making an effort to keep her emotions in check.
Anfeng interjected, "The monitoring team has reported that the group has been covertly interfering with people since they went out today. It appears they haven't changed their ways but have simply become more adept at concealing their actions from the public eye. They've also picked up on some plans to make your visit to the haunted house tomorrow particularly difficult, so I suggest you prepare as you mentioned earlier."
The revelation was the final catalyst for Yasushi. His earlier uncertainties about the planned operation were now overshadowed by the disturbing new information he had received from Anfeng the night before, the details Jingliu had shared, and the latest findings. He was resolute in seeking justice for those who had suffered at the hands of these individuals.
With a deep sigh, he surveyed the room and the gathered team. "Alright, let's not waste any more time. We need to get everything in order for tomorrow," he instructed. Without hesitation, everyone quickly moved to set their plans into motion.