"There's a mission already? Instructor, don't you need to rest?" Wang Zihao took the photocopy from Duan Chen, his eyes wide with surprise.
Duan Chen gave a helpless wry smile. He wished he could, but weirdness didn't wait for anyone.
"Brother Duan Chen, take me with you this time!"
Mi Xueer's eyes sparkled.
Duan Chen smiled, "Okay, you, Qin Ze, and Yan Qiuren, you guys come with me."
He wanted to test Mi Xueer and Qin Ze. As for Yan Qiuren, if they encountered illusions again, she could help Duan Chen discern them. Not just for this mission, but for every mission from now on, Duan Chen intended to keep her by his side.
"I'll go too."
Jia Yunlian stood up.
Duan Chen lowered his head in thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Alright."
He knew Jia Yunlian might simply want to see Ni Ya.
On the way, Bai Ye would drive the energy vehicle, which happened to be going in that direction, and could give Duan Chen and the others a ride.
"The target of this mission is a residential complex."
"An entire one?"
Jia Yunlian hadn't had time to look at the photocopy yet. Hearing this, she frowned.
Yan Qiuren nodded. Her abilities were very strong; she could skim through documents quickly and imprint the mission summary in her mind after a single read.
"That's right. The situation was reported by people from the adjacent complex, saying that this complex has funerals and weddings almost every day, and both are held at night."
"This... could it be a custom?"
"No, according to the eyewitness descriptions, the banquets they set up were not with ordinary food, but with people!"
Yan Qiuren's voice suddenly lowered at the end.
"People?" Bai Ye shivered.
"Yes, some plates had heads on them, others had limbs, livers, and such. They had everything."
"Ugh—" Mi Xueer looked disgusted.
"Regardless, let's see when we get there. We'll observe and know the truth then."
"Yes."
Ande Complex was located on the outskirts of Su City, adjacent to Jinlin Complex. It could almost be considered a suburb, as the surroundings of both complexes were desolate, backed by mountains. Even the bus service only had one route passing through here.
"This place is quite quiet. Those who live here are usually elderly people, or poor families. Young people generally don't live here."
Yan Qiuren had investigated thoroughly.
"Okay, let's head to Jinlin Complex first to gather some information."
Duan Chen said, leading his group towards the entrance of Jinlin Complex. The security booth here was like an empty shell, dilapidated. A security guard, around thirty years old, lay inside, his eyes unfocused, looking listless.
"Hello, we'd like to ask you for some information."
Duan Chen approached the security booth, catching the smell of braised beef instant noodles.
He showed his agent ID, and the guard's eyes lit up.
"Holy cow, officers, you're finally here! If you hadn't come soon, even if this job was great, I was going to quit. I can't stand the night shift anymore!"
The guard poured out his grievances.
"Don't rush, tell us what you know."
The guard said his surname was Liu, Liu Gang, and he came to work as a security guard last year through a friend. Initially, he earned two thousand yuan a month, just for the easy work. He just lay there all day, doing nothing. Later, he got a girlfriend, and two thousand yuan a month wasn't enough for anything. He started to envy the salary of the night shift.
"Honestly, I only get two thousand yuan a month. I rent a small studio for five hundred, and the rest of the money goes to food and drinks. I can't save anything. Those old timers on the night shift can earn six thousand a month! Four thousand more than me!"
His expressions and tone were exaggerated, which amused Qin Ze.
"Since the night shift is so sought after, how did you get scheduled for it?"
Liu Gang's eyes widened. "To be honest with you, there are only three security guards in this booth. Rumor has it there were five before I came. After those guys worked one night shift, they quit immediately.
I didn't know why at the time. Later, a few of the old timers couldn't take it anymore and left. It was finally my turn to work the night shift. I was so happy, damn it! After working one day, I realized this wasn't a good job at all!"
"How so?"
"I encountered a ghost on the first night!"
"A ghost?" Duan Chen couldn't help but chuckle.
"That's right!"
Liu Gang nodded repeatedly, almost shaking his head off to prove it to Duan Chen.
"It was a ghost! A group of people, carrying a sedan chair, like an ancient wedding procession. The whole procession was glowing red, and they were singing some kind of ballad. I didn't hear it clearly, but I felt it wasn't a good song. I didn't think anything was strange at the time, just wondered why they were getting married at night. To get some free food, I followed them."
Hearing this, Mi Xueer rolled her eyes.
"You're quite brave."
Liu Gang wanted to cry but had no tears. "Miss, it wasn't bravery, it was sheer ignorance!"
"Alright, continue."
Given Jia Yunlian's imposing presence, Liu Gang didn't dare to joke around and honestly began his narrative.
"After I followed them, I found a few people at the end of the procession. They smiled and patted my shoulder."
"'Buddy, are you here to congratulate the young lady too?' they said. I wasn't congratulating, I was going for food! I felt my pockets with the few coins inside and nodded my head, forcing myself."
"Later, I found out they hadn't booked a banquet hall. The feast was set up in the central plaza of Ande Complex, outdoors. I found a relatively secluded seat and was waiting for the food, playing on my phone. I didn't notice what they were putting on the plates. When I finally looked up..."
Liu Gang's voice was choked with tears.
"I saw a man's head on a plate, staring at me with wide eyes!"
"How could I possibly eat that? I was so scared I scrambled and ran away, without bothering about what those people were shouting behind me. When I got back to the security booth, I hid under the desk and locked the door tight."
"That was the first day. What about the next few days?"
Duan Chen read his mind and found that the man wasn't lying.
"For the next few days, there was something going on every day! Either a wedding or a funeral, it never stopped! And every time they passed by me, they would definitely sing that ballad!"
"Now I've given up on the night shift, I just want to laze around in the day shift peacefully."
Liu Gang sighed.
"Who is working the night shift now?"
"It's Xiao Cheng, Cheng Erhu. He's brave, but he gets startled every night." Liu Gang shook his head, still feeling a lingering fear.
"Tonight, we will..."
"Duan Chen?"
Suddenly, Duan Chen heard a familiar voice. He turned around and exclaimed in surprise.
"Li Wei?"
A woman stood at the doorway, carrying several bags of vegetables, staring at him in surprise.