The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 89 Finger Bone Dice

"Mahjong puzzle?"

This was the first time Cheng Tan had heard of this claim.

Seeing Cheng Tan's puzzled look, Sister Fang smiled again, "Just a little hobby, I like collecting special dice, or..."

"That's where you collect your spoils! These are your trophies, Sister Fang!" Mr. Zhao joked from the side.

"Hmm... I heard that in this card game, the loser gets a souvenir. Oh, it's a die!" Cheng Jing whispered a reminder.

"Yes, yes... young lady, you're quite knowledgeable!" Boss Zhao laughed, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Cheng Jing. "What's your name, young lady? With a figure like yours, it's a waste for you to be an assistant. Perhaps my little shop is short a receptionist..."

"My wife, Xiaohua, thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Zhao. My name is Xiaohan. If Mr. Zhao needs us, we can both work as receptionists. We'll make a perfect couple!" Cheng Tan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

However, his smile froze instantly.

On the mahjong table, right in front of him, inside an antique box, he saw dice of various sizes.

There were exactly thirteen, no more and no less.

The most terrifying thing is that their surfaces have fine textures, with dots engraved on each face. The red paint has peeled off somewhat, but the bone structure is still visible. On the "one" face of one of the dice, there is a tiny, almost invisible scar, like the mark of a bone fracture healing.

These dice were actually carved from individual finger bones.

Cheng Tan felt a churning in his stomach. He thought of the elderly people in Room 402, their stiff fingers, and the image of "Sister Fang" stroking the back of an elderly person's hand in the body camera footage.

"Young man, are you interested in dice?" Sister Fang's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Cheng Tan snapped out of his daze and forced a smile: "I've never seen such a... unique collection. Especially these bones, they look kind of creepy."

Fangjie laughed again, a confident laugh. "Bone is the most spiritual material. They once belonged to living people, bearing the warmth of life. After being made into dice, they seem to remember some of their owner's traits—like luck, like personality."

She casually picked up a bone die, twirled it between her fingers, and said, "Don't be afraid, this is ivory." Her voice remained gentle. "A special kind of ivory, with very fine grain."

"Ivory?" Cheng Tan repeated, his gaze sweeping over the other dice. The smaller dice were clearly made of other finger bones. He could clearly see the texture of the bones and the fine structure at the joints. This wasn't ivory. Ivory has a crisscrossing, net-like texture, while these dice had a vertical texture with a distinct Haversian canal structure—a characteristic of bone.

"Yes, ivory." Sister Fang put the dice back in the box. "I've collected them for many years. Each one has a story."

Mr. Zhao seemed oblivious to Cheng Tan and Cheng Jing's unusual behavior. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Sister Fang, are the rules the same tonight? Lose a game, keep a souvenir?"

"Of course." Sister Fang nodded, her gaze sweeping over Cheng Tan and Cheng Jing. "But we have newcomers tonight, so we can make some adjustments. Xiao Han, Xiao Hua, this is your first time here, so the first two rounds won't count as souvenirs. Let you get used to it. Starting from the third round, the loser has to leave behind one personal item—or, if they wish, they can leave behind a story."

"A story?" Cheng Jing felt a little uneasy.

"A true story, about yourself." A glint of something unreadable flashed in Fang's eyes. "A secret you've never told anyone."

Isn't this just Truth or Dare?!

But Cheng Tan couldn't laugh; he felt a chill run down his spine.

This demand is even more terrifying than leaving your personal belongings behind.

Personal belongings can be anything—a pen, a lighter, a banknote. But a secret never told to anyone… could be a key that unlocks the darkest corner of a person's heart.

"That sounds interesting." Cheng Tan forced a smile. "Shall we begin?"

The automatic mahjong table begins shuffling. A robotic arm pushes the tiles into the shuffling tank, making a rhythmic clattering sound.

Cheng Tan's gaze remained fixed on the box containing the bone dice. Thirteen. Thirteen fingers. This reminded him of something—something he wished he could forget.

Last night, in that terrifying house, there was a sieve.

No, half of it, because a corner of it was cut off!

All night long, the eight people in room 403 were racking their brains over a dice problem. Unexpectedly, a woman who liked to collect dice appeared in that room after disappearing from room 403.

They were even playing mahjong in the room! With these... dice!

Now, looking at these bone dice, fragments of memory suddenly began to piece together. Those marks…could they be their fingers? Severed fingers?

But now, Cheng Tan didn't have time to think anymore; he needed to concentrate on playing mahjong.

If you don't give it your all, you might end up with your fourteenth finger bone!

After shuffling, the robotic arm pushed the deck to the center of the table. The four began rolling dice to determine their seating and starting positions. Fang Jie used the die made from her thumb bone and rolled a "five". Cheng Tan rolled a "three". General Manager Zhao and Director Sun rolled "two" and "six" respectively.

According to the order of the seats, Sister Fang sat in the east, Cheng Tan in the south, General Manager Zhao in the west, and Director Sun in the north.

He began to draw the tiles. As Cheng Tan's fingers touched the mahjong tiles, he suddenly felt a chill. The image of those bone dice lingered in his mind. He tried to concentrate, reminding himself of his purpose for tonight: to win the game, to make a request to Sister Fang, and to ensure Jin Xiaohao's safety.

But at the same time, he also wanted to find out the truth behind these dice. If they really were made of human bones... then where did these bones come from? From whom? Why would Sister Fang collect such things?

The first game begins.

As she stared at the card game, Cheng Jing's heart was also filled with turbulent emotions.

She sat in the spectator chair behind Cheng Tan, her gaze constantly scanning the card table and also observing the room. The room was tastefully decorated, but there were some discordant elements.

The calligraphy and paintings on the walls are all genuine works, including one by a Ming Dynasty painter, which is quite valuable. The tea set is official kiln porcelain from the Qing Dynasty. However, the water feature in the corner uses very ordinary, even somewhat rough, stones.

It looks like it was hastily purchased and doesn't quite match the overall style of the room.

And these bone dice.

As a criminal police officer, Cheng Jing has seen all kinds of evidence, including human remains.

She was almost certain that the dice were made from human bones.

The bones underwent degreasing, bleaching, and polishing, but their basic structure remained unchanged.

The largest die, in particular, judging from its size and shape, should be the first phalanx of an adult male's thumb.

Whose finger?

Why were they made into dice?

Why are there thirteen?