"Forget it. I'm done dealing with a scummy vendor like that!" Xu Sixian said, his face dark with anger as he clutched his briefcase.
"Thankfully, it's only a few tens of thousands of yuan. It's not that big of a deal."
"What? Tens of thousands of yuan isn't a big deal?" Tiger stared at him in disbelief.
"It's my own fault for lacking judgment. The deal is done, and there's no legal recourse," Xu sighed. "Thank you all for your help, but I've got work and a life to manage—I don't have the energy to keep fighting him. I'll just chalk it up as a lesson learned."
With that, he bid them farewell and left.
"That shameless jerk! I say we leave him to rot! Let that cursed knife finish him off!" Tiger spat in disgust, glaring at the shop.
"I'm not trying to save him," Liang Ge replied, lighting another cigarette. "I'm trying to catch the culprit. We've finally found a lead on this case. If we miss this chance, who knows where that knife might end up or how many more victims there'll be."
"But he won't admit anything! What can we do?" Tiger asked, scratching his head. "We can't exactly steal or rob him, can we?"
"No need for that," Lu Fei said thoughtfully. "The problem is that Ma Laosan doesn't understand just how dangerous that knife really is."
"Oh?" Liang Ge flicked his cigarette ash, watching Lu Fei closely.
"If we can make him realize that knife could cost him his life, I doubt he'd be so eager to hold onto it."
"So, you've got an idea?"
Lu Fei looked at Tiger with a smile. "Whether this plan works depends on your skills, Tiger."
"Huh?" Tiger pointed at himself, bewildered.
Nightfall.
The once-bustling Culture Street had grown eerily quiet.
Ma Laosan finished his bookkeeping and prepared to close up shop.
He glanced at the blood-soaked photos left on his desk. Initially intending to toss them in the trash, he hesitated and decided to take another look.
Each photo depicted a flayed body, the flesh exposed and raw, red muscle and fat grotesquely visible. They were both horrifying and nauseating.
Each photo was timestamped with a date of death.
If what those people had said earlier was true—that someone dies every seven years—this year would mark the next cycle.
"Bad luck!"
A chill ran through Ma Laosan as he tossed the photos into the trash.
"Just a bunch of swindlers trying to scare me!"
He cursed under his breath, but the memory of the flaying case from Antique Street seven years ago lingered. That victim had skinned themselves alive at home, dying in a pool of blood.
"Could that knife really have come from that person?"
Deciding it wasn't worth the risk, he resolved to sell the knife quickly.
"Hello, Mr. Zhang? It's me, Old Ma."
"You mentioned wanting a rare antique blade. I've got one you might like. Want to take a look?"
"This is a real gem. I can bring it over for you to inspect right now before someone else snatches it up."
"No trouble at all! You're a valued customer. I wouldn't hold back on something this good. The price is negotiable."
"Great. I'll head over right away."
After a few calls, Ma Laosan finally found a buyer interested in the knife.
He headed to the back room, opened his safe, and pulled out a small box.
Inside was a thin, sharp knife.
The blade wasn't pristine—it looked grimy and emitted an eerie, bone-chilling aura.
"Let's see you wreak havoc on someone else. I'm done with you!"
With a cold snort, he stashed the box in his bag and hurried out the door.
His mind preoccupied with convincing the buyer, Ma Laosan didn't notice a car discreetly tailing him.
The night was pitch black.
The meeting place was a good 30 minutes away, down increasingly deserted roads.
Feeling bored, Ma Laosan switched on the car's radio, only to be greeted with static.
"This crappy car! I'm replacing you soon!"
He muttered as he stopped at a red light, drumming his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the box on the passenger seat twitch.
"What the…? The car's stopped. How did the box move?"
Before he could process it, the radio crackled to life with an eerie, low wailing sound that grew louder and louder.
"What the hell is that?"
Frowning, he leaned closer to the radio, trying to make sense of the noise.
It sounded like a bloodcurdling scream, filled with unimaginable pain and torment.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he hastily turned off the radio.
But the screaming didn't stop.
Instead, it grew louder.
At the same time, the box on the passenger seat began to shake violently, as if something inside was trying to break free. Dark red liquid seeped from its seams.
"This… this can't be happening!"
Ma Laosan's face turned pale. Could the knife really be a cursed object capable of flaying people alive?
*Bang!*
A bloody handprint slammed against the car window, the fresh blood dripping down the glass.
"Ghosts!"
Panic overtook him. He flung the car door open and bolted, tripping and stumbling as he ran.
From behind the car, Tiger stepped out, his hands coated in fake blood.
"Ha! That coward! All it took was one bloody handprint to scare him off!" Tiger laughed. "He must be feeling guilty as hell!"
Nearby, an unassuming car door opened, and Lu Fei and Liang Ge stepped out.
Liang Ge had placed a road hazard sign 50 meters behind Ma Laosan's car to avoid disrupting traffic on the quiet road.
They hadn't expected the scare to work so quickly—Ma Laosan had fled before they could even use the other props they'd prepared.
"He brought a box with him. Could it be the knife?" Lu Fei asked.
"Let's check before he comes back," Liang Ge said, donning gloves and opening the car door.
Inside, the box sat on the passenger seat.
"Huh? Why is the box moving on its own?" Tiger asked, impressed. "Liang Ge, did you rig this somehow?"
"This wasn't me," Liang Ge replied, his face turning serious.
The box jerked on the seat, emitting sharp thuds as if something inside was trying to escape.
"Don't touch it!" Lu Fei warned, his expression grim.
From the box, tendrils of thick black smoke began to seep out.
A chilling realization struck him.
"Ma Laosan didn't run because of Tiger's handprint. The thing inside the box—it's starting to act up!"
"What? It's already happening?" Liang Ge was stunned.
The timing was too uncanny. They'd only just arrived, and the knife was already showing its true nature.
It was as if it had been waiting for them all along.