Unfinished Building, Awakening

We reached the fourth floor.

I stood at my front door and raised my hand to knock.

I hadn't brought my key. Most of the time, I was at school, so there was no point in carrying it around. I might even lose it, and so I had developed the habit of not bringing it with me.

But that was no big deal. Mom should have been home. Every time I knocked, she would immediately come open the door for me.

I looked at Xie Yi, then at Eccentric Song.

Eccentric Song had been to my home more than once. Why had he said something like that in the car? It had to be Xie Yi. He must have done something to Eccentric Song.

Knock, knock! I rapped lightly on the door.

There was no response. Normally, Mom would have come to open the door by now, but today there wasn't the slightest reaction.

I knocked twice more, putting more force into it this time.

But the door still didn't open. Maybe they were at work. Then I would wait.

"This isn't your home," Xie Yi said. His tone was calm, but there was a hint of helplessness on his face.

I sneered. Could I possibly mistake my own home? Once Dad and Mom came back, I would see what else he had to say.

But just then, Xie Yi grabbed my shoulder with one hand and pressed the other against my forehead. I heard him muttering under his breath, but I couldn't make out a single word.

Suddenly, he shouted, "Wake up!"

My whole body felt groggy, then I slowly began to regain my clarity.

Fury rose in my heart. I wanted to shove him away, only to find that I had no strength.

He stepped back half a pace, and I nearly fell to the ground. It was then that I finally saw my surroundings clearly.

I jumped in fright. This was an unfinished building, not an apartment building at all. There were no residents, and the rooms were empty, without even doors. Trash was scattered everywhere, and I could even smell the stench of dead rats.

"Where is this?" I asked Xie Yi.

"This is Green Garden Residential Area. During the old city renovation, it was originally intended as relocation compensation housing for the residents of Little Ancestral Hall Entrance. But after something happened there, the developer decided to sell it as commercial housing instead. Who would have thought that just after the developer made that decision, the construction crew here would suffer an accident? Rumors said the place was haunted. Several more crews were brought in, and the same thing happened every time. In the end, construction on this complex had to stop. It couldn't be built, nor could it be demolished. Whenever a construction crew entered the site, someone would die."

That was why this residential area had become Qiao City's most notorious unfinished building.

As I listened to him speak, images flashed through my mind. They were fragmented and blurry. I tried to see them clearly, but I couldn't.

I said nothing more and turned to head downstairs.

Xie Yi said nothing either, merely following quietly behind me.

I didn't see Eccentric Song, but I knew he would appear before me again soon enough.

After leaving the residential area, Xie Yi pointed at the commercial street across the road. "Do you remember what that place is?"

I nodded. Of course I remembered. That was Little Ancestral Hall Entrance.

"What exactly happened that night ten years ago?" Xie Yi asked.

I countered, "Did something happen to Uncle Long and Aunt Qin?"

Xie Yi looked startled, but he immediately smiled. "You're finally willing to care about them. I thought you truly intended to live in your own fantasy forever."

"Answer me."

My expression must have been terrifying at that moment. In truth, the instant I saw everything around me clearly, I had remembered some people and events—things I had thought I would never remember again for the rest of my life.

"They're about to die."

If he said that, then they were still alive.

"Was all of this arranged by you? The dreams I had, and my visit to Professor Wang—were those all your doing?"

He shook his head. "No. I did go to Qianzhou University because of you, but I wanted to see Professor Wang first before coming to find you. I never expected you to come looking for me yourself. As for why you had those dreams, it was because you had never truly let go of that incident—or perhaps because the time had come. But since you're here, I hope you won't keep running away. I believe you also want to uncover the truth of what happened back then and save the people of Little Ancestral Hall Entrance, don't you? You should know your parents are among them. Can you bear to watch them suffer the torment of their souls until they die?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"What about the other two? How are they now?" I asked.

"Li Sen jumped off a building and killed himself last month. Xu Qiuyan was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. If we want to uncover the truth of what happened back then, we can only rely on you," Xie Yi said solemnly.

A wave of sorrow rose in my heart. I remembered now. Ten years ago, five people had escaped from Little Ancestral Hall Entrance: Uncle Long, Aunt Qin, me, Li Sen, and Xu Qiuyan. Strangely enough, after that, the five of us never met again or contacted one another. Perhaps, like me, they had wanted to forget that nightmare. But I had never expected Li Sen to kill himself by jumping from a building. And Xu Qiuyan—the girl around my age, lively and cheerful, always full of laughter—had actually been sent to a psychiatric hospital.

"You said you're from Bureau Five, Section Nine. What exactly is Bureau Five, Section Nine?" I remembered the Bureau Five, Section Nine Xie Yi had mentioned when introducing himself. After thinking for a moment, he answered, "Bureau Five, Section Nine is a special department that handles strange cases. Our unit has an easy-to-remember codename: Ghost Domain. I'm in Special Case Section One, and I'm responsible for the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance case."

"Does your department have much authority?" I asked.

He paused, then nodded. "More or less. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. I imagine you have plenty of capable people there?"

Xie Yi nodded again. "You got that right. There aren't many people in Unit Nine, but every one of them is exceptional."

I smiled. This guy really loved bragging, and without even the slightest embarrassment.

"So, are you willing to come back with me now? Don't worry, we only want to learn more from you. It won't take up too much of your time. Of course, when we need your cooperation, I hope you'll support our work."

I shook my head.

He frowned. "You're still unwilling?"

"I want to join you," I said. "I think your department suits me."

I didn't know why that thought had suddenly occurred to me. Maybe it came from the fear deep inside me. Although that incident had happened ten years ago, I still trembled with fear whenever I recalled it. So I wanted to join Unit Nine and become one of them.

I remembered someone once saying that if you didn't want to fear war, then become a soldier. Only by truly throwing yourself into war could you stop fearing it.

Xie Yi smiled again, his smile carrying a trace of amusement. "Do you think just anyone can join us? I already told you, there aren't many people in Unit Nine, but every last one is formidable. Each has their own special skill. What about you? What can you do?"

His words didn't intimidate me. "You already know what I can do, don't you?"

This time, he was the one who froze.

Then he burst out laughing. "Come on. Go say hello to your Grandpa, then we'll head back to the provincial capital first. I'll take you to meet Long Zhong and Qin Yueying."

He neither agreed nor refused my request to join them, but I believed they definitely wouldn't reject me. I had that confidence.

We spoke little on the way back. He focused on driving, his gaze fixed ahead, while I closed my eyes and pondered my own thoughts.

Zhang Meili's youthful face surfaced in my mind. She had two dimples whenever she smiled. She was the Xu Qiuyan from my memories.

She should have been twenty-two or twenty-three by now. I wondered what she had grown into.

"What are you thinking about? She doesn't remember you anymore."

At those words, I looked into the rearview mirror. Eccentric Song was sitting in the back seat, a sinister smile on his face.

I rolled my eyes at him. This guy always loved ruining the mood.

Xie Yi seemed to sense something. "I'm very curious. Besides Eccentric Song, who else is by your side? I know about Eccentric Song—a top student in the psychology department. Not only is his theoretical knowledge impressive, he's also extremely skilled at applying it. But I still haven't figured out what the other two can do."

"You'll find out when the chance comes," I said flatly.

After saying that, I turned to look out the car window. Xie Yi didn't mind. He gave a soft chuckle. "Fine. Then I'll wait and see exactly what's so special about you."