Chapter 272 - He's Not Ol' Wong!

Translator: Lonelytree  Editor: Millman97

“Uncle Wong?” Gu Feiyu looked at his phone and replied without thinking. “I’m here, what’s wrong?”

“There’s a tenant that said he saw someone suspicious sneak into the third building. You know we’re running low on staff, so if you’re still awake, do you mind coming to help?”

“Someone suspicious? Okay, I’ll be there in a minute!” Since he was the reason Ol’ Wong got fined, Xiao Gu was ravaged by guilt. He had been hoping for a chance to make up for that, so he agreed readily.

Grabbing his phone, Gu Feiyu ran to Fang Hwa Apartments. The third building was just adjacent to the backdoor. Gu Feiyu glanced inside the guard post. Ol’ Wong had left in such a hurry that he did not even close the door.

“Did something happen already?” He called Ol’ Wong, but there was no answer. After he entered the third floor, there was another message on his WeChat. “The person who sneaked in appeared to be a thief. We have cornered him on the 23rd floor. When you come, remember to be careful.”

“Okay.” Xiao Gu was worried about Ol’ Wong’s safety, so he rushed into the elevator and pressed the button for 23rd floor. The elevator doors slowly closed, and Xiao Gu started to frown, looking at his phone.

Uncle Wong types very slowly, and he normally sends voice messages. Also why didn’t he answer my call earlier? He was confused, but Xiao Gu did not think this was a trap. I just came to the city to find work. I have no looks and no money; there is no reason for people to trick me. Perhaps Uncle Wong’s team is on a stake-out, so it’s inconvenient to answer the call.

The number shifted, and the elevator soon arrived on the 23rd floor. “Uncle, I’m already here. Where are you?”

Xiao Gu slid out of the elevator silently. He hid around the corner and messaged Ol’ Wong to ask for his location.

“The thief seems to have enter Room 3239. We’re hiding in the room across from it. When you come over, make sure not to make too much noise.”

Raising his head to look down the darkened corridor, Xiao Gu memorized the room number that he had been given before advancing. The only source of light in the corridor was Xiao Gu’s phone. He looked at the closed doors that lined both sides of the corridor, and he slowed down.

He moved further away from the elevator. When he was halfway there, Xiao Gu turned back to look. The number on the elevator shifted. It appeared like someone had called the elevator, or perhaps someone had entered the elevator. In any case, the elevator had returned to the first floor. If something dangerous happened then, it would be impossible to escape via the elevator. It would take at least one minute for the elevator to come back up again.

Someone is coming up from the first floor? Is it the other guard? Xiao Gu waited for a while and realized that the elevator was still at the first floor. He was suspicious, but before he could understand why, Ol’ Wong started to rush him through WeChat.

This triggered an alarm in Xiao Gu.

Uncle Wong couldn’t have typed so fast; the person sending the messages is not him!

Xiao Gu had already suspected that before, but he had believed that there was nothing worth getting from him. There were so many contacts on Ol’ Wong’s WeChat, so why was he selected?

Xiao Gu slowed down. He called Ol’ Wong again, and similarly, there was no answer. “Don’t want to pick up the phone but keep sending messages… is it because the real messenger wants to hide their voice?”

Not long ago, Xiao Gu met the madwoman in the third building. He had almost been brutally murdered. The experience had left a deep scar in his heart, but it had also taught him a valuable lesson—one cannot be too careful. He did not dare move forward anymore but slowly nudged toward the elevator.

I should leave this building and get help from the other guards. Xiao Gu regretted rushing into the elevator. Just hours ago, Ol’ Wong had reminded him to not act so rashly. He stuck to the wall, and as he moved down the eerie corridor, he became more unsettled.

The elevator is still sitting on the first floor. This is weird. If someone on the first floor didn’t call the elevator, why did it go down? Did someone enter the elevator on this floor when I wasn’t paying attention?

In the silent corridor, Xiao Gu’s phone suddenly vibrated. It gave him quite a scare. He lowered his head to look. There was another message from Ol’ Wong. “Have you arrived?”

For some reason, when Xiao Gu saw this message, he panicked. He increased the speed of his retreating footsteps. He moved several meters, and there was another message on his phone. “Are you there?”

Xiao Gu stopped replying. He retreated to the elevator and pressed the button to call for it. The elevator that stopped at the first floor started to move. Xiao Gu stared at the number on display, and his heart raced. The person who sent him the message seemed to sense something because the frequency of messaging drastically increased. Xiao Gu’s phone kept vibrating, and the same message repeated itself.

“Are you there?”

“Are you there?”

“Are you there?”

Now Xiao Gu was certain it was definitely not Ol’ Wong on the other end of the line!

The more he thought about it, the more scared he became. Seeing the messages that filled up his inbox, a chill ran through his body. What is happening‽

When the elevator reached the 11th floor, Ol’ Wong suddenly stopped sending him messages. Xiao Gu sighed in relief. He swiped his sweating forehead and realized it was soaked in cold sweat. Someone should have taken Ol’ Wong’s phone already. I need to leave before I’m discovered.

Xiao Gu pressed on the button rapidly. When the elevator reached the 14th floor, he turned over his shoulder to look. One of the room doors at the end of the corridor creaked open, and a pale figure holding Ol’ Wong’s phone was poking their head out.

…

“My parents taught me to be a law-abiding citizen from a young age. That filled me with a sense of justice and cultivated the habit of helping others whenever I can. Therefore, when I saw people ignoring the law and harming the innocent, I had to apprehend them. I admit I might have acted a little bit emotionally, but the situation didn’t allow me any other options. If I didn’t act, more people would have gotten injured.”

Chen Ge wiggled the handcuffs and announced openly in front of the three officers and Captain Yan that sat across from him in the interrogation room.

“That is the reason you used violence to knock them out?” The officer who sat next to Captain Yan frowned.

“But I’m the victim here. After all, there are more of them than me.”

“Have you seen a victim come to make a police report with two unconscious culprits?”

“They attacked me first; I was only acting in self-defense.”

Chen Ge stared at the four policemen, who stared back at him. In the end, it was Captain Yan who coughed and said, “Stop arguing. The officers who were sent out to verify the news should return shortly.”

Translator: Lonelytree  Editor: Millman97

The interrogation room door was pushed open at 11 pm. Two officers walked into the room and placed two printed files on the table.

“Wei Wu, real name Zhang Wu, male, 36, works at a pharmaceutical company. He has been spotted going out late at night for the past six months and has been using his fake identity to rent many underground storage rooms. Investigation is still ongoing for his properties.”

“Kong Xiangming, real name Kong Yin. A wanted man on the run. Xing Hai police suspect this man is related to two homicides.”

Looking at the information on the table, Chen Ge sat up straighter. Things were even more successful than he thought. Kong Xiangming was a wanted man. He did not even have to say much to prove his innocence.

“See, I’m not lying to you, am I?” Chen Ge raised both of his hands. “I’m sorry, but what is the reward for capturing a wanted man? Xing Hai is a bigger city than Jiujiang, so the reward money should be higher, right?”

“Reward money is decided by the department of public security; it has nothing to do with locality.” Captain Yan had the man beside him uncuff Chen Ge. He then personally poured a glass of water for Chen Ge. “Tell me, how did you discover these two?”

“I’ve told you. I’m the victim!” Chen Ge pouted. Listening to him, the few policemen in the room felt their scalps numb.

“We believe you, but everything needs to be based on the evidence.” Since no one had any sign of saying anything, Captain Yan stepped forward. “Don’t mind it too much, but if there’s a next time, try to take a lighter hand. If you accidentally take someone’s life, things will be very complicated.”

Captain Yan did not know why he would say that, but he had a feeling this was only the beginning.

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“I’ll personally go ask about the reward money for you tomorrow, so now can you tell us about these two?” Captain Yan was familiar with Chen Ge’s personality, so he threw out the reward money as bait.

“Told you, I’m really the victim.” Chen Ge’s voice turned serious. “You guys still remember how I accidentally came into the group of madmen detaining live hostages at the mental hospital, right?”

“Yes.” Captain Yan seemed to remember something. “The group of madmen had a picture of you entering the New Century Park, so do you mean these two people were sent by them to the Haunted House to disturb business?”

“Disturb my business?” Chen Ge shook his head and sighed. “They were sent to kill me.”

The interrogation room became quiet after he said that. Based on the investigation and their years of experience, the officers believed Chen Ge was right.

“This is part of their revenge against me.”

“Just because you exposed their secret at the abandoned mental hospital? That made them want to kill you?” a young looking officer at the table asked.

“They’re all mental patients; their worldview is different from us.” Chen Ge thought about it, and he prepared to tell Captain Yan the things that he could reveal to prevent the police from having unnecessary sacrifices. “After a short interaction, I realized these people’s hearts have been fully twisted. They use their own twisted views to understand the world, and the scariest thing is they believe they are right and it is this world that is wrong. You cannot apply normal logic to them; they are extremely dangerous.”

“Mental patients going around killing people with a twisted worldview?” Captain Yan tapped lightly on the table. This was something he would subconsciously do when he was in deep thought.

“What I’m saying is the truth. You have to be very careful; they’re different from normal mental patients.”

“Different how?”

“During the day, they can act incredibly normal. Only when after midnight or when they’re alone will their side that is ill be shown.” Chen Ge was giving Captain Yan’s team a warning. This group of madmen were different from normal, and most of them were smarter than normal people.

“I understand. Most serial killers have deficiencies in terms of mental and spiritual health.” Captain Yan wanted to say something more when Chen Ge’s phone rang.

“Xiao Gu?” Chen Ge glanced at his phone and was quite surprised. “Why is he calling me?”

He was detained inside the interrogation room, so he asked Captain Yan, “Do you mind if I answer this call? It’s from my employee.”

“You can answer it here.” The few officers placed their absolute focus on Chen Ge. They perked up their ears to listen. Chen Ge picked up the call, and before he could move the phone to his ears, Gu Feiyu’s scream at the top of the lungs came through. “Brother Chen! Fang Hwa Apartments’ third building! Uncle Wong has already…”

The voice suddenly stopped. Xiao Gu’s phone sounded like it was slapped away by something and knocked into the wall. There were only running footsteps that could be heard in the call.

“Fang Hwa Apartments’ third building?” Chen Ge did not end the call. He paid full attention, hoping to get more information. The sound of footsteps soon disappeared. It was unclear whether Xiao Gu had run to another floor or tragedy had befallen him.

“Chen Ge, what was that about?” The few officers leaned forward.

“It’s at the third building again.” Chen Ge’s eyes were rather scary. “The bunch of crazies have reached out to attack my employee. They’re inside Fang Hwa Apartments’ third building!”

The interrogation room was silent for a second before everyone mobilized. “Call the local station! Get them moving instantly!”

If this was before, Chen Ge would not have told the police. After all, Captain Yan would not have chosen to help him capture the members of the ghost stories society based on his few words. But things were different now. The police had confirmed that the two members that Chen Ge had caught were involved in many crimes. Chen Ge was not lying.

“Captain Yan, can you drop me off at New Century Park first? I need to go get something important.”

“Ol’ Wu, you drive Xiao Chen.” Captain Yan seemed to morph into a different person. He walked out of the interrogation room and yelled, “Stop dawdling! Get moving!”

“Wait a minute.” Chen Ge chased after the man. “Captain Yan, don’t make too big a commotion. I fear this is a premeditated plan.”

“Don’t worry.”

After getting the promise from Captain Yan, Chen Ge took Ol’ Wu’s car to return to New Century Park. He grabbed the recorder and ballpoint pen, and since the police were coming with him, he did not take the hammer.

The ghost stories society targeted Xiao Gu mainly to get to me. They want to lead me there with Xiao Gu as bait. Chen Ge did not plan to take a big risk. He sat inside the police car and thought about it carefully. Since you have set up such a big plan, there has to be a trap. Conservatively speaking, I suspect there will be at least four members at Fang Hwa Apartments.

Chen Ge looked out the window at the night sky, and his finger traced the play button of the recorder. But they won’t be expecting me to come with the police.