The sight outside the peephole made Gary's blood run cold. His body went limp, and he collapsed in the hallway.
No... I must have been half - asleep. It must be...
Gary managed to stand up, summoned his courage, and looked through the peephole again...
She was still there! That long - haired female ghost!
"Aaaah!" He immediately ran back to his room, then, after a moment's thought, turned on all the lights in the room. He got under the covers, covering his body tightly except for his head, and sat on the bedside. He prayed to every god and Buddha he could think of.
He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was already 2 a.m. This must be the time when the yin energy is at its strongest, right? Gary had always believed that there were no such things as ghosts in the world. But now, having seen one with his own eyes, his worldview was shaken. Although he tried to find a rational explanation in his mind, like someone deliberately pretending to be a ghost to scare him, the question was... who could have predicted that he would get up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and just happen to look through the peephole?
As for opening the door to check it out, he definitely didn't have the guts. He thought about calling the police, but what was he supposed to say? That he saw a ghost?
Even though the room was lit, Gary still huddled on the bed, not daring to close his eyes. Was he just going to sit here all night? Would that thing come in? Could a security door stop her?
He didn't doubt for a second that even the sound of a mosquito at this time could give him a heart attack.
Please... please don't come in... don't come in...
With the room full of light, the furniture cast shadows on the floor. After looking at them for a long time, the shadows seemed to move. He even felt that a blood - covered woman might suddenly jump out of the shadows.
He grabbed a chair. If that thing came in, he'd hit her with it... but, what if he couldn't beat her? He looked at the window sill. His apartment was on the fourth floor. Jumping out would, at best, leave him paralyzed, and he didn't have the courage anyway.
He sat like this for about three hours. By 5 a.m., he was so exhausted from the tension that sleepiness finally overcame him. When he woke up, it was already 10 a.m.
"Oh no... I'm late for work..."
He immediately got out of bed and put on his shoes. The sunlight pouring in from the window temporarily dispelled the fear in his heart. He walked slowly to the hallway, swallowed hard, and looked through the peephole...
The corner of the corridor was empty. There was nothing there. The floor, which had been covered in blood last night, was now clean.
Could it be... that last night was just an illusion caused by extreme tiredness? That would be for the best.
He quickly got dressed, not even having time to comb his hair. He opened the door, and when locking it, he looked back almost every second before he dared to leave. Then he rushed to the elevator.
When he arrived at the internship unit, the boss's face was very unpleasant.
"Gary! You're three hours late! I had to find someone else to do the work you were supposed to be in charge of! What do you mean? Don't think you can be so lazy just because you're an intern! Your workload will be doubled this afternoon! One - third of your salary this month will be deducted!"
Gary could only groan inwardly. He obediently went to his desk to work, but the image of the female ghost still lingered in his mind. Could it really be that he was so scared by that painting that he had such a ridiculous illusion?
During lunch break, he listlessly went to the cafeteria to get food. After choosing a seat and sitting down, Ryan and Lily sat down opposite him. Lily asked with concern, "Gary, what on earth happened to you? There's no way you should be this late."
Gary forced a smile and said, "If I say I saw a ghost, would you believe me?"
Ryan burst out laughing. "I... I mean, Gary, are you still asleep? A ghost? You're not trying to come up with such a lame excuse because you don't want to cover for me, are you?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you!" Gary said, then buried his head in his food. Just then, he felt a pat on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Zach.
"What kind of ghost did you see? Tell me about it." He put his lunch box next to Gary's, then sat down and looked at him seriously.
"Do... do you believe me?"
"That depends on what you say."
After Orion's supernatural ability was activated, his sensing ability became extremely active. For example, he could now roughly sense the location of people he predicted would die.
"You said Gary lives nearby?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Last night, they stayed overnight at a nearby farmhouse. The people there were very hospitable and treated them to a lot of fresh seafood. A few kilometers east from here is the coast, so most of the farmers in this area are fishermen. Their houses are filled with nets, and there are a lot of dried fish in the yard.
At this moment, Orion and Jane were sitting on the beach. The waves crashed against the shore from time to time, and sea breezes blew in. From time to time, a few seagulls circled in the sky or dived into the sea to catch fish. In the distance, a few small boats could be seen. This place seemed to have a really nice view. It was probably going to be developed into a scenic spot with a resort built nearby in the future. But the fishermen would probably oppose that.
"Hasn't your sister told you the time period she predicted yet?"
Jane sat cross - legged, running her hands through the sand, and asked Orion, who was lying on the ground in a star - shape.
"No, she hasn't," Orion stared at the sky. The clouds drifted by quickly, giving him an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
He knew that someone must have entered Neil Lawson's house. After asking around in the area, he learned that Neil had already passed away. He and Jane went to the nearby police station to inquire and heard that he had died of heart failure, which was determined to be a natural death. However, Orion thought this was definitely not normal. That strange painting, combined with the key words Jane had sensed, clearly indicated that everything was related to that painting.
If someone entered the house, saw the painting, and was then cursed... at least Orion inferred from the handprint on the dusty painting that someone must have touched it. Orion firmly believed that Neil could see transparent ghosts. Otherwise, Jane's father wouldn't have mentioned this person in his notes. Moreover, when he first met Neil, Neil could tell that he had a supernatural physique, which also proved that Neil was no ordinary person.
"I asked the nearby residents. They said that a few young people had come to ask about Neil's affairs," Jane also reported the current progress. "I described the appearance of the person named Gary you predicted to one of them, but the person said they hadn't seen him. Did we make a mistake? Or..."
"No, there should be a connection. Didn't you sense the 'ghost painting'? The previous premonitions also happened in line with your key words. So, we can be sure that at least Gary's death is related to the key word 'ghost painting'. I can't accept it as a coincidence. Currently, we must first find out where Gary lives and then wait for Violet's news."
But... how to find out? They only knew his name and appearance and couldn't access the police station's archives... Wait...
He immediately said to Jane, "Wait a minute. I remember you hacked into the police's computer to steal the photos of Alex Daniel Green's body, right? Then, hacking into the general police station's computer to steal the household registration files shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"Hmm... That's true. I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it."
Jane really did what she said. She immediately went back to the car, took out her prepared laptop, installed the wireless network card, and then started hacking into the police station's computer. Orion watched in amazement. Firewalls and antivirus software were simply useless in front of her. In no time, the household registration files were clearly displayed.
"Don't look at me like that... I didn't learn hacking skills for criminal purposes. Some of it was taught by my father, and some I figured out on my own because I thought it might come in handy in the future. Also, I've written some viruses and anti - virus software. I'll show them to you some other time!"
Orion couldn't help but look at Jane in a new light.
"Look, these are the household registration files of Gary in this city that I searched for... It should be the one in this city, right? My father wrote in the notes that your premonition can't cross cities."
"That's for sure..."
"Okay, this name isn't very common. I'll display them one by one. You stop me when you see the photo of the person you're looking for." Then Jane started dragging the mouse, scrolling down one by one. However, they couldn't find the person Orion sensed.
"Could it be... that he's from out of town and his household registration isn't in this city?"
Jane felt a headache when she heard Orion say this. How were they supposed to find him now?
After hearing Gary's words, the three of them were skeptical.
"You... you mean the painting we saw that day? Come on, don't joke with me like this, Gary!" Ryan was terrified inside, but he still tried to act tough.
Zach, on the other hand, fell into deep thought. Lily was even more exaggerated. She hugged her shoulders tightly. Although the cafeteria was heated, she felt as if she was in an ice cellar.
"There have indeed been many strange rumors about that painter..."
At this time, Zach spoke up.
"Rumors? What do you mean?" Gary asked eagerly.
"I heard that his eyes were purple. It was said that he was born with them. And it seemed that people around him died young, one after another. That's why he lived alone in that house, not contacting the outside world. Neighbors rarely saw him."
"Stop it, please," Lily couldn't take it anymore. She covered her ears and ran out.
"Anyway, be careful, Gary. Maybe I really didn't think things through. I should have figured things out before going there."
Zach's words became more and more serious, and Gary's heart became more and more nervous. He had almost convinced himself that what he saw through the peephole last night was an illusion. But Zach's words made the fear that had just subsided rise again in his heart. Ryan, however, still stubbornly said, "Wh - what are you talking about... Zach, do you really believe there are ghosts in the world?"
"There are indeed many mysteries in the world that are hard to explain. We can't deny that. We know so little, yet we still try to touch the supernatural. Maybe... we're really overstepping our bounds."
"Stop it!" Ryan felt dizzy. He quickly took a few more bites of his food and said, "There are no such things as ghosts in the world! Ghosts are just made up in novels and movies!" Then he got up and left. Now, only Gary and Zach were left.
"Zach... what you just said was a joke, right? You were just trying to scare me, right? What does the color of the painter's eyes have to do with anything?"
Zach took another bite of his food, nodded, and said, "Well, you're right. After all, things aren't clear yet. I shouldn't have scared you like this..."
Come on... Are you that slow - witted? You've already scared two people away...
Gary looked at Zach's indifferent expression, wondering how he was going to get through the night...
"If the household registration files don't work, where should we start next?" Orion continued to think about their next move. Suddenly, Violet called.
"Got any results? Violet?"
"Sure, of course! Gary's death deadline should be tomorrow..."
Orion held the phone, silent for a long time.
"Hello? Why aren't you talking?"
"Are... are you really Violet?"
"What's wrong? You can't even recognize my voice, brother. Are you kidding me..."
If the Violet on the other end of the phone wasn't fake, then she had completely forgotten about the code word. So Orion sighed and had to ask, "Well... the code word..."
"Code word? What code word? This isn't a 007 movie."
She really forgot... But this was indeed in line with Violet's style.
"I just told you yesterday morning. How could you have forgotten so completely?"
"Come on! Do you know how many manuscripts I have to proofread a day, how many places I have to go for interviews? The things I have to remember can pile up like a mountain. How could I remember what you said yesterday morning?"
"..."
"Hello? Say something! Brother, aren't you coming home today?"
"Well... what's your favorite fruit?"
"Strawberries, of course. You know that best, brother."
"What's your favorite mystery drama?"
"'Kindaichi Case Files'!"
"Your favorite and least favorite colors..."
"I don't have a favorite color, and I don't have a least favorite color either."
"Okay, it's you, Violet."
After hearing this, Violet was stunned for a moment. Before she could react, her brother had already hung up the phone.
"Your sister is really cute. And she's so pretty. Does she have a boyfriend?"
Orion put away his phone and smiled bitterly. "How could she... She's so scatter - brained, and she can't even cook. For the past seven years, I've been the one in charge of cooking at home. If I go out to gather materials, she has to eat at a restaurant. And... the time we can stay in each city is limited. She's too afraid to make friends, fearing that she'll have to part with them later. How could she have a boyfriend? It's really hard on her. She should be at an age to fall in love now, but..."
The sky gradually darkened.
"Time flies so fast..." Jane closed the laptop lid, put it in the back seat, and said, "Don't worry. The three of us... will definitely find a way to break the curse one day... definitely..."