“Quiet. The activity room is just above Granny Lee’s home.” Fan Li didn’t hide anything. He shared the known information with everyone. “Our goal, the mud figurine, should be inside Granny Lee’s home. After we destroy it, we’ll leave.” Fan Li scanned everyone before pointing at Bai Shu and Brother Lee. “I’ll guard the staircase while the two of you enter Granny Lee’s home.”
“Is that a good idea?” Youyou grabbed her boyfriend’s arm. “No one knows what’s inside Granny Lee’s home. What if there’s danger?”
“The mud figurine is the source of all the anomalies. If we do anything to the mud figurine, it’ll attract the people in the activity room. I’ll stop them in the staircase to buy time for you.” People often followed Fan Li’s assignments because he’d always give himself the most dangerous task.
“However, defending the rear is important too. Gao Ming is a newbie. Can he do this?” Youyou glanced at Gao Ming, who was at the back. The man was too passive and never volunteered for anything.
“It’s alright. Leave it to me.” Bai Shu tapped Youyou’s hand. He and Brother Lee walked to the front.
The rusted corridor door creaked open. The temperature inside the corridor was lower than normal. Walking down it, one could hear the sound of singing opera. The neighbourhood committee’s activity appeared to have started. Black lichen grew on the steps. The creepy sound blew into everyone’s sleeves like a chilly breeze. The more they went up, the more harrowing the voices were. The haunting melody was dipped in pain.
“Ghost music?” Sister Zhang paused to listen. She halted like she had been possessed.
“Do you know this?” Fan Li stopped moving.
“When I first entered the anomaly, my employer was familiar with ghost music. It is a kind of music that mimics the wailing of souls. It has no accompaniment. It is ethereal, absurd and nonsensical...” Sister Zhang looked fearful. “My employer was a bigshot’s kept mistress. Her hope was to replace the main wife. When the anomaly happened, the little ghosts she had been keeping underground came alive. That night, she went into the basement and never came out.”
“So, she was a hidden mistress.” Youyou was shocked. “No wonder we haven’t heard you mention her before.”
“Humans are complicated. Her morality aside, she let me go after she became a ghost. That’s why I’ll never say anything bad about her.” Sister Zhang whispered to Fan Li. “Normally, songs with ghost music are used to summon and send away the souls. I have no idea why people are singing ghost music here. But, the singer is even more proficient than my former employer.”
Taking a deep breath, they ran out.
Sister Zhang suddenly started to hum along to the ghost music. Her eyes were dull as small handprints surfaced on her body.
“Sister Zhang?”
Sister Zhang started to walk upstairs on her own. Ou Yang Susu and Youyou couldn’t hold her back. Sister Zhang suddenly became so powerful that she felt like she was possessed.
“The mud figurine is not at Granny Lee’s home. It probably has been sent upstairs already.” After leaving the home safely, Brother Lee and Bai Shu realised their backs were wet.
“We have to destroy the mud figurine to escape. I think we need to go upstairs to look.” Ou Yang Susu hugged Sister Zhang with all her might. “Sister Zhang is not acting straight. You have to come to a decision!”
“We’ll head up.” Fan Li sighed helplessly. “I’ll walk ahead. Watch over Sister Zhang.”
They headed up the stairs. The third-floor corridor became narrow. The walls had been knocked down, turning the third floor into a kindergarten. There were a lot of tables and chairs but no children.
“The music is coming from here...”
Fan Li walked past a window in the corridor. He bravely pushed his head through. On a simple stage built for children to showcase their talents, there was a woman.
The woman wore an operatic costume and had on a painted face. The song she sang detailed the life of a Good Samaritan who lost everything and was buried inside a mud figurine by criminals. The criminals were afraid that their sins would be discovered, so they ruined the kind man’s face and destroyed his facial features.