Chapter 23

Sudi was a public figure, and his kidnapping had been trending online, never leaving the hot search. The entire nation was watching, with the police mobilizing the whole city, and even fans scouring the streets for clues. A million-yuan reward was offered to gather information from the public, and checkpoints were set up at major traffic routes, with a significant police presence in the suburbs.

Jiang Tian was one of the officers assigned to the outskirts.

He drove towards the suburbs for a while; it was already past four in the morning, and the cold night meant the roads were almost deserted, with hardly any cars in sight. He glanced at his dozing colleague and said, “It’s too cold out here. Those kidnappers wouldn’t be wandering around with Sudi; they must have found a place to hide.”

His colleague, eyes closed, murmured, “Just don’t know where they’re hiding.”

Jiang Tian nodded in agreement. With few leads and City A being so vast, it was indeed a tough search.

He drove on, and his headlights swept over a few figures in the distance.

Not many people would be out walking at this hour.

Jiang Tian took a closer look and saw two men standing by the roadside-one tall and stout, the other short and thin. They walked stiffly, with legs seemingly rigid, not watching their steps, just staring straight ahead. Their demeanor was odd, and even stranger was the fact that the stout man seemed to be carrying something on his back.

His instincts told him something was off, so he slowed the car. As he pondered, he noticed a Long-haired Woman standing behind the two men. She was waving, her face appearing eerily excited under the headlights, her Long Black Straight Hair swaying in the cold wind, adding to the strangeness.

As a police officer, he should have stopped to inquire, but for some reason, his heart skipped a beat, and he reflexively pressed the accelerator, speeding past them…

It wasn’t until he had driven far that he realized what he had seen. Checking the rearview mirror, he saw the Long-haired Woman standing straight, staring in his direction… Feeling uneasy, he quickly turned the car around and drove back.

His colleague opened his eyes and asked, “What’s up?”

Jiang Tian replied, “There was a woman waving. She seemed strange. Let’s go check it out.”

His colleague nodded, shaking off his drowsiness and sitting up.

…

The police car stopped by the roadside, and Jiang Tian got out, looking at the two men and one woman standing in a row. The two men were expressionless, their four eyes devoid of emotion as they fell on him. A chill wind blew, and he couldn’t help but shiver, feeling the air grow colder. The Long-haired Woman had an expression, but her smile was unsettling, making one instinctively wary.

Jiang Tian eyed the trio, his hand brushing the gun at his waist.

His colleague stood beside him, no longer as relaxed as before. The two exchanged a knowing glance, becoming more vigilant.

Gu Feiyin was overjoyed. She had been through so much that night, truly exhausted, with her coffin still unaccounted for and a child to care for. Seeing the police officers, she finally felt some relief.

Jiang Tian cleared his throat, “It’s dangerous out here at night. You should be resting at home. Why are you out so late?”

She patted “Bear” and “Fourth.” “Bear” tilted his head ninety degrees, seemingly rolling his eyes at Gu Feiyin. He shrugged, and the person on his back slid down, landing in “Fourth’s” outstretched arms.

Jiang Tian was shocked to see the frail man being held like a princess by the thin man. His hair was disheveled, face dirty with soil, making it hard to discern his features.

Jiang Tian and his colleague immediately stepped forward, accurately checking his breath and neck pulse, then simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. He had both breath and pulse; he was alive, though seemingly feverish, his body burning hot.

“Is he sick?”

They hadn’t realized the stout man was carrying a person because he stood so straight, not like someone burdened with weight. Plus, the person was wrapped in a coat, even covering his head, making it hard to recognize him at first glance.

At this point, Jiang Tian hadn’t thought much else, assuming the person was ill and the three were seeking help. It seemed simple enough to just take him to a hospital.

Despite the car’s headlights, the shadow cast by the group made it hard for Jiang Tian and his colleague to recognize Sudi, especially since he was disheveled after a night of turmoil, looking more like a beggar in his dirty white down jacket.

Jiang Tian asked, “What’s going on with you?”

Gu Feiyin pointed to Bear and Fourth, earnestly saying, “He was kidnapped by these two men, tied up all night, and then fell ill. You should arrest them; it’s really outrageous.”

Jiang Tian: “…?”

Colleague: “…!”

Bear and Fourth simultaneously looked at the Long-haired Woman, rolling their eyes: “…”

Her words were unexpected. Jiang Tian looked at the Long-haired Woman, then at the two stiff-standing men beside her. The men turned their heads to look at him, staring silently, not denying anything? Their rolled eyes even seemed a bit innocent…

Jiang Tian: “…” His hand discreetly touched his gun again. Normally, if someone made such an accusation, his first reaction would be to control the situation, but today was different. The accused men hadn’t run or denied anything, and the Long-haired Woman was standing right there, unharmed. Moreover, the man on the ground was carried down by the stout man.

Would people capable of kidnapping be so compliant?

So he found the Long-haired Woman not only strange but even more suspicious than the men.

Jiang Tian asked, “You’re saying the person on the ground was kidnapped by the two men beside you?”

The Long-haired Woman curled her lips, her pale face looking even more eerie with the smile: “Yes, they took him to the mountain, where I encountered them. Isn’t that right?”

The two men were silent for a moment, then nodded.

Jiang Tian: “…???”

… Don’t blame him for being skeptical; the situation was just too bizarre!

Just as he was about to ask more questions, his colleague suddenly grabbed his hand and frantically pulled him back to the car, his expression grave as if he had discovered something terrifying.

Caught off guard, Jiang Tian stumbled, nearly falling, but his colleague was unaffected, pulling him faster. Jiang Tian was secretly alarmed, his expression turning serious. Knowing his colleague well, if he hadn’t discovered something, he wouldn’t act this way…

Jiang Tian was shoved into the car, his colleague got into the driver’s seat, and with a roar, the car sped away!

Jiang Tian glanced back, seeing the three still standing there watching them, and exclaimed, “What’s going on? Why did we leave suddenly?”

His colleague, face pale, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, “Didn’t you see? Those two men were standing on tiptoe, lifeless, not speaking. They…” He lowered his voice, “I think they’re possessed by ghosts! Only the possessed stand on tiptoe!”

Jiang Tian was startled: “What are you talking about? There’s no such thing as ghosts! Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I can’t be wrong. Even if they’re not possessed, there’s something wrong with them.”

“But the person was breathing and had a pulse; he can’t be dead. And I feel like he looks familiar…”

Jiang Tian thought for a while, then somehow pulled out a photo. He turned on the car light, carefully comparing the photo-taken on the day Sudi was kidnapped, wearing a high-end suit, a white down jacket, and a silver skull earring on his left ear…

Jiang Tian’s face changed dramatically, shouting, “Reverse the car, go back immediately!”

…

One minute later.

Gu Feiyin watched the car drive away, her head drooping, her Long Black Straight Hair swaying in the wind, making her look eerie.

She couldn’t understand why they suddenly left.

Beside her, “Bear” and “Fourth” suddenly came to life, lifting Sudi’s body between them, one holding his legs, the other his arms. Despite Sudi being six feet two and weighing at least 160 jin¹, he seemed like a chick in their hands, easily carried away. Though walking on tiptoe made them slow, they seemed quite cheerful.

…

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Tian looked at the Long-haired Woman sitting in the back seat, her mouth curled in an eerie smile, while beside her sat “Bear” and “Fourth,” handcuffed and drooping their heads. Their gray eyes stared straight ahead, and when they noticed his gaze, they slowly turned their heads to look at him, their lifeless eyes making his scalp tingle, his heart uneasy, feeling the air around him grow colder.

His colleague also felt uneasy, glancing at the rearview mirror where the two men and woman sat stiffly, their eerie demeanor reminding him of the dead. Ever since they got in the car, the heater seemed broken, a bone-chilling cold creeping up from the floor, impossible to shake off.

Meanwhile, Sudi lay unconscious in the back, dreaming of blood and holes, hoarsely crying for help, begging for his life…

Footnote:

1. Jin(斤): “Jin” is a traditional Chinese unit of weight, 1 jin ≈ 500g.