Cross Fish Tragedy

Xiao Ran found the voice familiar and, upon closer inspection, exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Li? Is that you? How... how did you end up like this?"

In his memory, Uncle Li, though slightly balding, had a square face and a neat crew cut. He always looked energetic and particularly upright.

He usually wore a white shirt and suit pants, carrying a thermos. At first glance, he had the air of a department head. Many family members felt Uncle Li was very dependable and trustworthy the moment they saw him.

It was precisely this honest face that allowed Uncle Li to thrive among the other middlemen.

But now, his square face had become a puffy face, his cheeks bulging high, and his face was bruised and battered. He looked utterly miserable.

Xiao Ran quickly helped him up and had him sit on a stool to explain.

"I called you yesterday, remember? I took a job, and it all went wrong."

Xiao Ran remembered this. He had been tidying up the old house when Uncle Li called about the job. Upon learning he wasn't in the city, Uncle Li had quickly hung up.

He had originally intended to return sooner, but then he encountered the incident with the three lost children, which led to him entering the Lost City later.

Yet, in just one night, Uncle Li had ended up in this state.

"No rush, take your time explaining."

Xiao Ran poured Uncle Li a glass of water and sat beside him to listen.

"You said you weren't around that day, and I was worried the job would be snatched, so I found someone else. Turns out this guy was useless. Not only did he fail to fix the body, but he passed out himself and then stuck scissors into the corpse's chest. The family saw that..."

Uncle Li trailed off, instinctively raising a hand to rub his face. Judging by the injuries, it was clear the family had been extremely agitated and had shown him their "affection" in a rather forceful way.

"So..."

"It's an emergency, Xiao Ran. I don't need my three percent commission. This job is thirteen thousand total. I can give you the money upfront. We've worked together several times before, old friend. You can't just leave me to die!"

Uncle Li's plea was sincere and full of earnestness.

But Xiao Ran just narrowed his eyes and stared at him. After his experience in the Lost City, Xiao Ran now felt like everyone he saw was wearing a mask.

"Let me see the files."

Uncle Li quickly took out the deceased's file from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran took it and examined it closely. He glanced at Uncle Li and said, "A Cross Fish?"

Uncle Li dared not speak. He just smiled and nodded, his eyes fixed on Xiao Ran, afraid he wouldn't agree.

A "Cross Fish" typically referred to someone who died accidentally.

There was an unspoken rule in the funeral home: they never directly addressed a "client" by name, nor did they openly discuss the "client's" cause of death.

This was because some "clients" themselves didn't understand how they died. They lay there in a daze, still lost in confusion.

If you were to say, "This is Old Wang. Last night he saw his wife and Old Sun dancing on a stripper pole, couldn't handle the shock, and died of a stroke on the spot."

Well, Old Wang lying there might get angry and put on a show of rising from the dead.

So, while this rule might sound ridiculous and absurd, its persistence indicated that behind the absurd rule, there was a valid reason for its existence.

Besides "Cross Fish," there were also "Fresh Fish," "Frozen Fish," "Rotten Fish," "Flying Fish" (suicide), and "Floating Fish" (drowning), among other terms.

As the saying goes, "Cross Fish are tragic, Flying Fish are hateful, Floating Fish are sinister."

These three types of deceased were usually cremated directly by the funeral home. If you wanted services like preparing the body, cleaning it, or even giving it a massage to ensure a dignified departure, you had to find someone from outside.

This was where Uncle Li, the middleman, came in handy.

Of course, Uncle Li only took a commission from this line of work. The actual labor and money-making were done by people like Xiao Ran.

This was also why Xiao Ran said he had found a part-time job at the funeral home.

After looking at the file, the deceased was named Guo Lingfei.

The cause of death was also peculiar. He was walking down the street when he suddenly went mad, rushed into a nearby construction site, and before the workers could react, plunged headfirst into a concrete mixer. By the time the workers discovered him...

It was said that the operator of the mixer was so terrified he was hospitalized.

So, the death was gruesome, requiring piecing together and cleaning.

Fortunately, the cleaning had been completed by someone last night. Only the piecing together remained.

After reading the file, Xiao Ran couldn't help but feel a strange sensation. He felt the cause of death was very bizarre, somewhat... similar to the strange methods of the Old Woman in the Lost City.

"By the way, do you know what this person did for a living?"

"Uh... I heard he was a fitness coach."

Xiao Ran could tell from Uncle Li's expression that he wasn't being entirely truthful, but he didn't press the issue. "I'll take it. Send me half the payment now, and the other half when I'm done."

Hearing Xiao Ran agree, Uncle Li's puffy face immediately lit up with joy. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll wait for you behind the morgue at 2 PM this afternoon."

With that, he took out his phone, scanned the QR code on the counter, and walked out. Not long after, Xiao Ran received a notification: the thirteen thousand had been deposited.

It seemed Uncle Li was worried he might go back on his word and had transferred the full amount upfront.

"Interesting."

Xiao Ran picked up the file. Perhaps it was a lingering effect from the Lost City, but he felt Uncle Li hadn't told him the whole truth. However, as the saying goes, "Where there's skill, there's boldness." Xiao Ran's next job wasn't just about the money. More importantly, he wanted to test the effects of cursed objects and curse marks in reality.

If he could gain some other abilities, that would be even better.

With the thirteen thousand deposited, Xiao Ran decided against making himself noodles for lunch. He ordered a large plate of chicken stew takeout and happily ate it in the shop.

"Meow!!"

Seemingly drawn by the smell of chicken, the cat in the box began to stir restlessly, scratching at the cardboard.

Xiao Ran suddenly remembered the cat.

He walked over to the box and opened it. Inside, a dirty white cat propped itself up on its front paws, emitting sharp, low meows. Its eyes held a fierce alertness and hostility, as if it were ready to spring into action at any moment.

Xiao Ran took out his phone and dialed the number left by the children. He informed them that he was calling to have them pick up the cat.

However, the person who answered was a middle-aged man, seemingly one of the students' parents. After Xiao Ran briefly explained the situation, the parent curtly said, "Why raise a cat? I have enough trouble taking care of him. I'm not keeping it. You can do whatever you want with the cat."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Xiao Ran stared at his phone, a bitter smile on his face. He quickly became troubled. Normally, he would just let the cat go, but this cat's hind leg was severely injured. If he abandoned it, it probably wouldn't survive more than a few days.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Ran sighed, "Alright, see a doctor, finish the job. See a Buddha, send him to the West."

He reached out and grabbed the white cat by the scruff of its neck. The cat initially tried to resist, but Xiao Ran's movements were so swift and precise that it had no chance to fight back before he lifted it out of the box.

He skillfully shaved the fur from the cat's hind leg and examined the wound. The muscle had been torn, but it wasn't a major problem. Xiao Ran held the cat steady with one hand while picking up the prepared needle and thread with the other. With his Master-level Suturing Technique, he stitched up the wound in a flash.

He applied some iodine and then popped an Amoxicillin capsule into the cat's mouth.

"Whether you live or not depends on yourself now."

With that, he placed the cat back into the box, along with a few dried fish and a bowl of fresh water.

Checking the time, he realized it was about time to leave. Xiao Ran tidied up, slung a bag over his shoulder symbolically, and headed out.

Zhuangyuanhong Road was only about a ten-minute ride from the funeral home, a bit further than Cuiyun Park.

The old man had chosen to settle here precisely because it was conveniently located near the crematorium.

He rode a shared bicycle, entering the funeral home's gates.

The security guard at the entrance merely nodded upon seeing Xiao Ran, saying nothing. It was clear they knew each other.

Compared to the bustling activity of the funeral home in the morning, it was quiet and deserted in the afternoon. Apart from a few staff members, there was practically no one around.

"Uncle Li!"

Arriving at the entrance of the morgue, he saw Uncle Li squatting in a corner, scrolling on his phone and smoking. Upon seeing Xiao Ran, Uncle Li quickly waved him over, looking visibly relieved.

"Let's go."

Uncle Li didn't waste any words and led Xiao Ran inside. The two walked into the morgue one after the other.

Although it was summer, a chill permeated the air as they entered the funeral home. By the time they reached the morgue, the cold was enough to make one shiver.

It wasn't that the place was particularly cold, but rather there was a bone-chilling coldness that seemed to pierce through clothes and seep into the very marrow.

"Old Zhou, open the door!"

Reaching the duty room, Uncle Li offered a cigarette to a middle-aged man on duty and handed him a file.

Old Zhou stood up and glanced at Xiao Ran, who was standing behind Uncle Li.

He seemed about to say something but then looked at Uncle Li again. The words on the tip of his tongue remained unspoken. With a stern face, he grabbed a set of keys and walked inside.

"Remember, we close at six. No matter how much you have left to do, you have to put the bodies back in the freezer. If you can't finish, you can come back tomorrow."

"Okay." Xiao Ran nodded and followed Old Zhou inside.

Uncle Li did not follow them further.

They arrived at a small, separate room at the very back of the morgue. A sign on the door read "[Morgue Room]".

Pushing open the door, a pungent smell of disinfectant filled the air.

A body lay on a stretcher, wrapped in a body bag. It was covered in a thick layer of bloodstains and emitted a strong, fishy odor.

Old Zhou turned on the room light and left without looking back.

Xiao Ran stepped forward and unzipped the body bag, revealing the corpse of a young man.

It was as described in the file: the entire left side of the body had been mangled by a machine. Broken bones had pierced the abdomen, tearing open a large hole in the lower belly, and intestines had spilled out.

Xiao Ran examined it carefully. This was his first time encountering a "Cross Fish" type of corpse; the previous cases he had handled were minor compared to this.

However, for him, the difficulty was not significant.

He put on gloves and a mask, picked up a scalpel from the side, and glanced back at the protruding bone fragments. Shaking his head, he put down the scalpel and silently picked up a nearby axe...

"Li Peng, you're not being fair."

In the office, Old Zhou, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, eyed Uncle Li askance.

Uncle Li knew what Old Zhou meant and took a deep drag from his cigarette. "Old Zhou, don't play these games with me. This kid's family is in this line of work; this is how they make a living."

"Heh, don't try to dodge the question," Old Zhou narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Then tell him, has this Cross Fish already killed two people?"

Uncle Li lowered his head. "That was just an accident."

"Bullshit accident! This body already killed one person before, and another last night. It's incredibly sinister. And you still dare to bring someone here?"

Uncle Li's carefully concealed intentions were exposed. He could only point to his own face. "I regret it too. I only found out how strange this body was after I took the job. I can't afford to offend the person who placed the order."

Old Zhou's face darkened, and he was about to curse, but seeing Uncle Li's downcast expression, he lost the energy to continue his tirade. He simply frowned and asked, "How much did you pay him?"

"Thirteen thousand." Old Li lowered his head even further.

"Bang!!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou instantly flew into a rage, grabbing a cup from the table and smashing it on Li Peng's head. "Go to hell, you're asking for thirteen thousand! Li Peng, your heart is getting blacker and blacker."

After speaking, Old Zhou grumbled, grabbed his keys from the table, and walked out.

Li Peng was stunned and quickly chased after him, saying, "Old Zhou, Old Zhou, listen to me..."

Suddenly, Old Zhou, who was walking ahead, stopped abruptly.

Li Peng quickly walked up, wanting to defend himself about his business, but Old Zhou clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh!!"

Old Zhou made a shushing gesture.

Li Peng was startled and looked up at the empty morgue corridor. From somewhere, a low singing voice could be heard. The singing seemed both near and far, and the lyrics were unclear. But the sound echoed in the cold morgue, making Li Peng's skin crawl.

Li Peng swallowed. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught something, and his eyes widened. He stared intently at the gurney in front of him, covered with a white sheet, revealing a human silhouette. This was usually where newly arrived bodies were placed. But now, the body on it was slowly sitting up