Chapter 53
The photo studio wasn’t large to begin with, and it only took the group a short while to clean it up and restore its original tidy appearance.
Once the bloodstains were gone, the house regained some of its life, and the previously tense group stopped trembling.
The only thing that remained unchanged were the photos on the wall, adding a peculiar eeriness to the night.
Zhao Ziming and the others were studying the photos, trying to identify someone among the captured Ghostly Shadows.
Hou Yuqiang and his men stood awkwardly, rubbing their hands, feeling out of place for a moment.
He didn’t have the nerve to brazenly go over and look with them, and he was self-aware enough to know that even if he did, his brain probably wouldn’t spot anything.
His gaze flickered, and in the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure. Only then did he remember there was still one more person on his side, and he quickly turned to look.
Tonight had been particularly thrilling. If he were to recount it, Hou Yuqiang could probably embellish it for hours. But if you counted carefully, it had only been about ten minutes from when they entered the photo studio to when he conceded.
From the moment Dunzi was pulled into the photo until now, Jiang He had been like an invisible man, not getting involved, just standing blankly in front of a portrait without moving, staring at the Ghostly Shadow in it.
Hou Yuqiang gave his brother next to him a look and wondered quietly, “Is this kid possessed?”
The man quickly shook his head. “I don’t know. Who cares about him?”
He clearly had a big problem with Jiang He. His words held no kindness as he took two steps forward and spoke rudely, “Hey, what are you looking at?”
Directly in front of Jiang He was a large, framed photograph. The Ghost Face in it was so fat it seemed about to spill out of the frame. Its eyes were on top of its head, and its chin was stretched long, making for a very frightening first impression.
Perhaps Jiang Liu’s “big shot” aura gave them a sense of security, as the man boldly sized it up and actually found a sense of comedy in the Ghost Face.
After witnessing even more exaggerated experiences, he felt that this thing wasn’t so scary after all.
Jiang He didn’t seem to hear him, not even sparing him a glance, just continuing to stare at the Ghost Face in a daze.
Hou Yuqiang was a little annoyed and was about to curse out loud, but just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, a flash of lightning in his mind reminded him of Jiang Liu’s presence. He swallowed them back and glared at Jiang He, saying no more.
Of the nine people present, only five were talking. The atmosphere froze awkwardly. Hou Yuqiang felt as if countless ants were crawling on his back, making him itch all over. He looked at Jiang Liu, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Her posture hadn’t changed since a moment ago. She sat upright on the sofa, her back perfectly straight. Even when leaning back, her posture was not at all lazy. From the side, she looked like a silent, motionless statue.
He actually admired people like this. Such calm composure was rarely seen in a young person, yet Jiang Liu possessed a mature aura that transcended time, clashing with her beautiful appearance.
Hou Yuqiang was a bit lost in thought. When he came back to his senses, he realized Jiang Liu had stood up at some point, seemed to stretch lightly, and calmly walked towards Zhao Ziming. “Any discoveries?”
The three of them shook their heads in unison.
They weren’t professional photographers. Under that kind of siege, it was impossible to adjust angles and exposure. Most of the photos they took were blurry, and the portraits reflected in them were hideous and had various expressions.
If they compared them with the photos they saw during the day, they would find that most of them could be matched, but strangely, Zhang Xiaochen’s figure did not appear here.
Jiang Liu frowned and suddenly asked a question, “Has anyone seen last night’s photo?”
The question came out of nowhere. After all, the one thing this place didn’t lack was photos.
But Zhao Ziming’s mind worked fast. Before Xu Meng and the other could react, he had already spoken up. “Sister Yang’s?”
He quickly shook his head, giving a definite answer. “No.”
And he hadn’t seen it when they came during the day either.
Just as I thought, Jiang Liu thought to herself, already heading for the hidden staircase.
She had a hunch that the second floor was the most crucial place.
The stairwell light was off, hidden behind curtains with excellent light-blocking properties. A cool wind blew on her arm, creating a terrifying atmosphere.
Hou Yuqiang’s eyes were wide with shock. “There’s a second floor here?”
Zhao Ziming sneered softly. “You guys really don’t pay attention to any details, do you?”
So these guys were really just here for the Seal, dreaming of clearing the level on the spot after finding it?
“You don’t understand. That woman’s attitude was very certain at the time.”
Hou Yuqiang retorted, hesitating over whether to say the rest.
What he didn’t say was that the woman looked ordinary, but her words were inexplicably convincing. Every sentence she spoke carried a strange power that made people instinctively do as she said.
Jiang Liu had that power too.
In that moment of hesitation, Jiang Liu had already led the others upstairs. She had already familiarized herself with the layout of the shop, so even the faint light didn’t hinder her progress.
Only the sound of footsteps remained in the stairwell. A turn would reveal the small reception room on the second floor. Just as Jiang Liu was about to go up, she suddenly heard a voice by her ear.
“You can’t go up.”
It was the long-silent Jiang He.
He had been following at the very back of the group, like a guest who had stumbled into two very familiar circles, standing alone to the side without speaking.
Jiang Liu’s raised foot paused slightly, and she turned her head slightly to look at him.
One was high, the other low. Her gaze easily passed over the heads of the others and landed on Jiang He’s face. His face was completely hidden in the darkness, and only a pair of bright black eyes could be faintly seen, staring at her without blinking.
“Give me a reason.” Jiang Liu maintained her stepping motion, her voice terrifyingly calm.
Jiang He fell silent for a moment, as if caught in some kind of emotional struggle, his expression uncharacteristically helpless. He could only repeat over and over, “You can’t go up. He said you can’t go up.”
His tone was a little flustered, as if a long-suppressed emotion had finally erupted, causing his voice to tremble with an unknown tremor. For once, he was acting his age.
Although she couldn’t see clearly, Jiang Liu’s eyes flickered, and she spoke thoughtfully, “What did you hear?”
Hou Yuqiang and the other four cooperated seamlessly, a familiarity evident in their subconscious movements. But Jiang He was different. Jiang Liu didn’t know why he had teamed up with the four of them, but she had been secretly observing his movements.
She had seen clearly the dazed look on his face as he stood before that photograph, but she hadn’t asked about it.
She hadn’t expected Jiang He to speak up on his own.
Jiang Liu’s voice was very soft, devoid of fear or any other surprise. It seemed to calmly envelop Jiang He like a comforting blanket, a stabilizing force that gradually calmed his heart.
He took a deep breath, as if trying his best to stop his trembling voice, but when he spoke, it still carried a hint of a sob. “He’s in there, right?”
Although it was a question, Jiang He seemed to have already reached a conclusion. Without waiting for Jiang Liu’s answer, he continued, “I heard him. He told me not to go up.”
Without a doubt, he was referring to Zhang Xiaochen.
The atmosphere grew cold again. They had forgotten to close the window when they left the second floor last night. A cold wind blew in through the crack, instantly giving people goosebumps.
Hou Yuqiang only half-understood, and a sense of panic rose from the bottom of his heart. He felt a chill shoot up to his head as he stared at Jiang He behind him as if he had seen a ghost, unable to say a word for a long time.
A moment later, a soft footstep landed. Jiang Liu stood at the top of the second floor, looking down at the others. “You all go back. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she had already strode inside, and Zhao Ziming didn’t even have a chance to grab her.
The reception room was just as it had been last night, as if no one had been there. Jiang Liu walked quickly, reaching the bedroom on the right in an instant. The door was still ajar.
There were no footsteps behind her; Zhao Ziming must have taken the others downstairs. Jiang Liu thought for a moment and turned on the light. The bedroom was instantly bright. She couldn’t help but squint, her eyes immediately drawn to the center of the wall, to Yang Caisi’s bright smile.
If the ghosts on the first floor were the people trapped inside, then what were these?
Jiang Liu fearlessly scanned the room and knelt down to check the drawer of the bedside table.
She had been too shocked by the photo wall last night to investigate properly. Fortunately, it wasn’t too late now.
Perhaps because it hadn’t been used for a long time, a light layer of dust had settled in the drawer. Inside was a Polaroid camera and a few messy rolls of film.
She picked it up and fiddled with it for a moment, then her hands suddenly froze.
For a split second, it felt as if something was staring at her. The intense feeling of being watched was hair-raising, making her hair stand on end in an instant.
Jiang Liu quickly turned her head. There was no one behind her.
Something was wrong.
A chill ran down her spine. Pretending that nothing was wrong, she continued to fiddle with the camera, but silently counted to three in her head before quickly turning around again.
The moment her gaze shifted, the eyeballs of the countless figures on the opposite wall moved slightly.
Jiang Liu reflexively jumped back, her eyes finally turning cautious.
She didn’t know the expressions of the others, but she remembered Yang Caisi’s photo very well. The eyes that were originally hidden behind the lenses seemed to have come to life, moving eerily and staring straight at her.
That gaze wasn’t like a person’s, but rather like some creature that couldn’t be described in words, monstrously terrifying.
As if a switch had been flipped, the photos on the wall all began to move, some crying, some laughing, all staring at the uninvited guest who had stumbled into this place.
Other than the eerie atmosphere of being stared at by a wall full of people, they made no move to attack, seeming completely harmless. This allowed Jiang Liu to notice something special among them.
Among a group of people with synchronized movements, a photo in the corner caught her eye. Unlike the other flexible gazes, the person in it had a perpetually blank, emotionless face and hadn’t moved at all from the beginning.
Her intuition told her that there must be something special about the person in this photo. Jiang Liu didn’t hesitate to pull the photo off the wall and stuff it into her pocket. Without lingering, she turned to go back downstairs.
But as she passed by Yang Caisi’s photo, a hint of hesitation appeared in her eyes. With a quick thought, she pulled that one down too and carried it away with her.
It was a pity for such a beautiful woman to be mixed in with these ghoulish things. Jiang Liu couldn’t bear it.