Starting with a haunted house to create a thrilling game arena

Chapter 39: The Midnight Harem of Xicheng Police Station

"The Xicheng Police Station's internet surveillance department investigated all news about lost media over the past ten years and discovered this."

Team Leader Yan pointed the computer screen at Zhang Ze.

Click the mouse to play the video.

"Hanjiang City TV station broadcasts an urgent news report."

Information about Hanjiang City Ghost Stories Research Company.

"July 16, 2023, residents of Hanjiang City, please be aware that our company has recently discovered a non-human entity that closely resembles a human infiltrating the city. All residents are requested to prepare food and water, reinforce doors and windows, and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary. Be wary of those around you. If you notice any of the following characteristics in people around you, please stay away and do not believe anything they say, as they may have been replaced!"

"First, the limbs are disproportionate."

"Second, abnormally deformed parts such as the head and hands."

Third, language system disorder.

Fourth, unusual daily behavior.

"fifth……"

The video was very short, only about three minutes long, and the speaker was an electronic synthesized voice that sounded cold and made people feel a little uneasy for no reason, but Zhang Ze remained relatively calm.

After watching the video, Zhang Ze raised an eyebrow. "Captain Yan, this should be a simulated horror video made by some ghost story enthusiasts, right? They've been quite popular lately, haven't they? Fake people, rule-based ghost stories, Mandela County—these things don't prove anything."

Team Leader Yan's expression was serious. "We specifically investigated Hanjiang City TV Station, and they did not produce such a news report on July 16, 2023."

"Furthermore, we couldn't find any information about the Hanjiang City Ghost Story Research Company that appeared in the video on the national trademark website. No one has registered such a company at all."

Zhang Ze scratched the back of his head.

Doesn't this further prove that this video is just a joke?

With so many online enthusiasts of ghost stories who frequently produce poorly made videos, it's impossible that they could fool even the well-informed Yan Dui.

Yan clicked to play the next video.

"Hanjiang City TV station broadcasts an urgent news report."

Information about Hanjiang City Ghost Stories Research Company.

"After investigation, we found a video of a non-human entity attacking humans. Viewers are advised to carefully study how to identify this humanoid entity, protect their own safety, and not to easily trust anyone around them."

The video is from a surveillance camera perspective. The location is an old-style residential area that looks relatively inexpensive. The walls are old and peeling, and the green belts on both sides of the road have been replaced by lush green ivy. The paving stones are cracked due to their age. This kind of old-style residential area is common in Hanjiang City and is not unusual.

Soon, a person appeared on the screen.

A woman, wearing a red cheongsam, looks very young.

However, it is visibly obvious that this person's limbs are disproportionate, with very long arms, long legs, and an even longer neck, making him look like a monster that has been stretched many times over.

It even behaves unlike a normal person, but rather like some kind of bird, tilting its head, just like the neural reflexes of a bird.

The woman entered the building, and after a while, it seemed like an argument broke out. There were sounds of smashing and breaking inside, and soon after, many paintings were thrown out with a clanging sound.

Finally, bloodstains began to appear on the floor, and a pool of blood gushed out from the door frame, staining the carpet red...

"Wait a minute?"

"What the hell is this?"

Zhang Ze was also stunned.

This thing looks so much like... Lingling?

His head buzzed instantly, and he was a little slow to react. Was this Lingling?

Let's recall all of Lingling's characteristics.

Disproportionate limbs, an unusually long neck, bird-like instinctive movements, and more importantly, the way Zhang Ze tried to communicate with Lingling and tell her that he was there to help her.

Like a fool who hasn't been enlightened, Lingling uttered a sentence:

"Friend...it's delicious."

Then I thought of the characteristics of non-human entities mentioned in the previous video.

"First, the proportions of the limbs are not harmonious."

"Secondly, the deformed head..."

Third, language system disorder.

Fourth, abnormal behavioral logic.

Could it be that... Lingling's madness wasn't due to becoming a red-clothed vengeful ghost, but rather because Lingling herself was the non-human entity mentioned in the video, resembling a pseudo-human?

"No, that's impossible. The system can't be wrong."

"A gifted young artist, her hands were severed, and she was the product of incestuous marriage—all of these can explain her unusual behavior."

"If she really was a monster, how did her family kill her?"

"Or is it that the real Lingling actually died long ago, and this monster took her place, infiltrated this family, and her father discovered that the monster had transformed into his daughter, which is why he killed her?"

This was the first time in a long time that Zhang Ze felt a chill run down his spine. The hairs on his neck stood on end, and he fell into a long silence.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Team Leader Yan nudged Zhang Ze on the shoulder.

"How are you?"

"I...I'm fine."

"Okay, we've reinvestigated this case and found many suspicious points. Besides the case of the genius girl in Hanjiang City, there are other previously closed cases, all from the past three years, from 2023 to the present, and they all have logical inconsistencies."

"What I just showed you was the lost media item numbered 014. This code is displayed by the video encoding. All the lost media items we have collected so far are in the police station. I would like to ask you to stay and help us find clues, since you are someone who has been in contact with these things."

Team Leader Yan's tone was very sincere.

Zhang Ze, having recovered slightly from the initial focus on the case, nodded slightly.

He also needs to figure these things out.

Is Lingling the real Lingling, or a monster mixed in with her?

If it was a monster, why would it turn into a vengeful ghost in red after its hand was cut off and it died?

What exactly is this ghost story research company?

These mysteries shrouded Zhang Ze, and he couldn't figure them out. He was constantly itching to get to know them. Even Chen Ge had never been exposed to these things before. If he could add them to his haunted house, wouldn't he be able to completely overshadow Chen Ge?

"Thank you. I'll take you to the monitoring room later. There are a lot of computers there. I'll ask the network monitoring department to set up a separate local area network for you and then transmit all the data into it. You can work in there."

"But you'll have to wait until after get off work, about two hours later. You can try our cafeteria; the food is pretty good."

Team Leader Yan patted Zhang Ze on the shoulder, "I'm counting on you."

It's still early.

Zhang Ze and Captain Yan walked out and entered the corridor.

The Xicheng Police Station has a U-shaped corridor structure. The detention cells, canteen, armory, and monitoring room are all located at the ends of the corridors, so they are easy to find.

He greeted Li Sanbao with a smile, and Li Sanbao also greeted Zhang Ze, then said to Captain Yan:

"By the way, Captain Yan, that Xiao Chen from New Century Amusement Park contacted me too. It seems he's gotten involved in another case. We'll probably have to go out again tonight."

"That's true, but I've already handed over the work related to the lost media to this young comrade. We'll both be on duty tonight, and there will be people guarding us at the station."