Fortunately, it was dark, so the bloodstains on the equipment weren’t too noticeable—otherwise, I’d really have no way to explain myself clearly.


    After sending the balding uncle back to the adult store, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. I barely managed to doze off at dawn, only to have a nightmare about being locked in a deserted village inn by a female ghost.


    With dark circles under my eyes, I opened the shop. No matter how I felt, business had to go on as usual.


    I brewed myself a strong cup of tea and sat at the computer desk, organizing last night’s encounter and documenting it in writing on the computer. It was a habit I’d developed years ago—meticulously recalling events helped me think and prevented me from missing important clues.


    A fresh morning breeze drifted into the room, lifting the military coat that served as a door curtain. A lively, innocent-looking girl slipped in quietly.


    “Xia Qingzhi, don’t you have class today?” My train of thought interrupted, I looked at the girl with exhaustion.


    “It’s still early. I just dropped by on my way.” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Any progress on my brother’s case?”


    Her hopeful expression made it hard for me to tell the truth. Staring at her well-endowed chest—no, her flushed cheeks—I turned the computer screen away. “Last night, I went to the No-Light Road’s Netherworld Show based on the address from the card. I found some traces related to your brother. At least now I can confirm you weren’t lying—your brother did exist.”


    “Then… do you know where he is now?”


    “That’ll require further investigation. I need more time.” I casually grabbed the egg pancake she was holding. After last night’s ordeal, the aroma finally made my stomach growl.


    “Hey! That’s my breakfast!”


    “Next time, go easy on the lettuce and add more chili…”


    After Xia Qingzhi left, I opened the leather suitcase I’d brought back from the Netherworld Show and wiped the bloodstains off the live-streaming equipment, fiddling with it.


    The selfie stick and camera weren’t particularly interesting, but the large-screen phone caught my attention.


    After plugging it in and waiting five minutes, it finally booted up. The nearly eight-inch screen had only three icons: a phonebook, a mailbox, and a third one that was a black-and-white photo of me!


    Clicking on the strange app, a line of text appeared:


    *“Task announcement in 12 hours and 30 minutes.”*


    “Not bad for knockoff equipment—pretty high-tech.” I glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was 7:30 a.m., meaning the Netherworld Show’s task would be announced at 8 p.m. tonight.


    “Again at night?” I could almost smell the conspiracy. This time, I couldn’t just charge in recklessly—I had to be fully prepared.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Pulling out my own phone, I scrolled through my contacts and dialed a familiar number.


    “Hey, Er Gouzi, got a job for you.”


    On the other end, the sound of shattering bottles and a woman’s scream echoed before someone finally picked up. “Jian-ge, I’m kinda busy here. Make it quick.”


    “Wow, Er Gou, you’ve even learned idioms now?” The young man on the other end, Chen Er Gou—nicknamed Er Gouzi—had dropped out of school at fourteen to become a street punk. Three years ago, he’d tried to extort protection money from my shop, only for me to tie him up, electrocute him, and “educate” him for half an hour. After that, he saw the light, turned over a new leaf, and became one of my informants.


    In this line of work, you deal with all kinds of people. Informants provide intel and do odd jobs for me, and in return, I pay them. A mutually beneficial arrangement—a different kind of transaction.


    “I’m investigating a supernatural disappearance case. I need you to get me some tools to deal with spirits.”


    “Jian-ge, the cops are almost here. If you wanna tell ghost stories, can it wait till tonight? *Motherf—! Beat him to death!* Uh, Jian-ge, I wasn’t talking to you!”


    “I know it’s hard to believe, but this isn’t a joke. Before dark, I need you to get me some blessed talismans or Buddhist amulets. Price isn’t an issue, but they’ve gotta be the real deal.”


    “Dog-ge, cops are here!”


    “Fall back! Fall back! Use the back door! Hey, Jian-ge, I’ll get you the goods! *Scram! Remember this—from now on, this bathhouse is my turf! Move!*”


    As police sirens grew louder on the other end, I couldn’t help but sigh. Youth truly was something else.


    Around two or three in the afternoon, a young man with a bandaged forehead and his right arm in a cast walked into the adult store.


    His left hand carried an old wooden box.


    “Jian-ge, check it out.” Er Gou placed the box on the table and opened it with one hand, revealing a jumble of colorful talismans and random exorcism tools. “I didn’t know what you needed, so I tied up Blind Liu, the fortune-teller from the overpass. This stuff is all from his place.”


    “Blind Liu?” I’d crossed paths with him once at the police station after he’d been warned for secretly installing cameras in hotels. The guy was just a con artist pretending to be blind…


    My suspicions deepened when I pulled out a silver-plated cross and two long strands of garlic from the box.


    “What is this? East-meets-West exorcism? His range is impressive.”


    Whatever. At this point, I wasn’t holding out much hope. I resigned myself to sorting the talismans and stuffing them into my pockets. Desperate times called for desperate measures—maybe Blind Liu was some hidden master living in obscurity. If so, I’d hit the jackpot.


    “Jian-ge, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out. Blind Liu’s still tied up, and I’m worried the guys might go too hard on the old man.” Er Gou picked up the now-empty box and turned to leave.


    “Wait.” Just as he lifted the box, I spotted an unusual talisman.


    It was stuck to the bottom, so old and yellowed it had almost merged with the wood.


    “Jian-ge, this peachwood box has been in Blind Liu’s family for generations. Don’t get any ideas—he’ll fight me to the death over it.” Er Gou rubbed his cast. “The old man’s got some skills…”


    Hearing that only made me more convinced the box was special.


    True enough—despite its age, the wooden box didn’t smell musty at all. Instead, it carried an indescribable aura.


    “You can take the box, but this talisman stays with me.” I went into the back room and put on disposable autopsy gloves before carefully peeling the talisman off the bottom.


    It was incredibly thin, made of an unidentifiable material, yet far more durable than ordinary paper.


    “Jian-ge, what’s written on it?”


    “If I could read it, would I be selling adult toys for a living?”


    The two of us stared blankly at the flamboyant calligraphy on the talisman. We could tell it was Chinese, but the meaning was beyond us.


    Strangely, as soon as the talisman was removed, a foul odor wafted from the peachwood box. Sensing trouble, I shoved fifty yuan into Er Gou’s hand and told him to return the box ASAP.


    By nightfall, I was fully geared up, sitting quietly at the table, watching the clock on the wall.


    “Eight o’clock!” The moment the hour hand struck, the phone screen lit up.


    No ringtone, no vibration, no notification—just a cold glow as an unknown number called.


    “Hello…” I pressed the icy phone to my ear. All I heard was a woman sobbing. “Who are you looking for?”


    The crying slowly stopped, but a sense of terror crept closer, as if the woman on the other end was crawling out of the phone and onto my shoulder.


    “I’m looking for someone.” The voice was devoid of emotion, cold as a lone tombstone in a desolate graveyard.


    “Sorry, this shop only sells adult products. If you really need something, you can add me on WeChat…” Trembling, I fumbled for words, though even I had no idea what I was saying.


    “Help me find someone. Years ago, he hid me under the floorboards, inside the walls, behind the bathroom tub… Find him. Find him!” The voice cut off abruptly, leaving me with endless speculation.


    “Was she dismembered?” I shuddered. At the same time, a new text appeared in the mailbox.


    *“Night has fallen, and dormant desires are about to erupt. Pick up the guest room phone, answer the suggestive questions. She’s already at the door, staring with blood-red eyes, waiting for you to invite her in…”*


    *“Live-stream mission: Check into Room 203 of the Anxin Inn at midnight and survive until sunrise.”*


    Reading the text, I abandoned all hope of luck. I knew the place mentioned in the mission—just three months ago, a man had died there under grotesque circumstances.