Night Return Ghost Hitting the Wall

The movie was a domestic comedy, quite interesting. Even though Jiang Yue was in a bad mood, he laughed several times.

Han Jingjing, on the other hand, was completely carefree, laughing non-stop throughout the entire show.

After leaving the cinema, Han Jingjing was still buzzing and kept saying she couldn't take it anymore and wanted Jiang Yue to carry her.

After much persuasion, they finally reached the downstairs of her apartment complex. Han Jingjing suddenly leaned in, her face flushed, looking a bit embarrassed: "Jiang Yue, thank you for indulging me today. I know you didn't really want to watch a movie, right?"

"No, the movie was pretty good."

"Do you still remember what I said?" Han Jingjing almost pressed against Jiang Yue's earlobe, her breath warm and fragrant, buzzing in his ear.

"Which part?"

"I..." Han Jingjing wanted to explain but stopped abruptly.

But in the next moment, she did something even bolder and more surprising.

She suddenly wrapped her arms around Jiang Yue's neck, lightly kissed his lips, then pulled away, her face crimson, and ran off.

Jiang Yue was left standing there, stunned.

Han Jingjing ran a short distance to the entrance of her building, then suddenly stopped. She turned around, swinging her small handbag in front of her knees, as if contemplating something.

Then, she skipped back.

"Brother Jiang Yue, I've thought about it. I can't just take advantage of you. So, I have a secret to tell you."

Han Jingjing, who usually didn't think ahead, looked around cautiously this time.

Only when she was sure no one could possibly appear did she whisper: "Jiang Yue, this physical examination is very important. It's an order from the highest level. Many mutated situations are appearing all over the world. Some speculate that human bodies will also mutate. So, starting now, perhaps any tomorrow could be the end of the world..."

Han Jingjing didn't continue. Her watery eyes looked at Jiang Yue, with the unique innocence, shyness, and bravery of her age.

The meaning in her gaze was clear: she wished she could offer her young heart to Jiang Yue. That way, the words she couldn't say face-to-face could be clearly understood by Jiang Yue.

If tomorrow is the end of the world, I must give away my first kiss of seventeen years...

Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.

Just then, Jiang Yue's phone rang.

He took it out and saw it was Officer Han.

"Officer Han?" Jiang Yue gestured to Han Jingjing, indicating he needed to take a call, and walked a few steps away.

"Xiao Jiang, we pulled some strings and completed the DNA comparison at the fastest speed possible. The main evidence from the scene – hair, bodily fluids, fingerprints, skin cells, etc. – all perfectly match Sun Bin. Your teacher is truly a beast in human clothing!"

"Furthermore, according to the surveillance footage, this Sun Bin was indeed present in your apartment complex this morning. Solid evidence from the scene."

Officer Han was clearly agitated. How could anyone remain indifferent to such a heinous and brutal crime?

Jiang Yue's mind went blank. He didn't even remember how he hung up the phone.

Old Sun is really the murderer in the rape and murder case?

Old Sun went to New Moon Bay, that was for a home visit with him, Jiang Yue was sure of that. But while visiting, how could he have gone to rape and murder a female student? Was it a crime of opportunity, or premeditated?

Jiang Yue's mind was filled with questions.

The world has mutated, this can now be confirmed. But the original scientific system may not be overturned so quickly. The surveillance footage shows Old Sun's presence, and there's Old Sun's hair, bodily fluids, fingerprints, and skin cells at the scene. This is ironclad evidence, with no possibility of refutation.

He returned to New Moon Bay around nine o'clock. Perhaps due to the serious incident that morning, there were no people walking around the complex at this hour.

The security guard's booth was also quiet. The guard, who usually listened to old songs on an old player at this time, seemed to be suffering from spring lethargy; there was no activity today.

The drizzling Qingming rain started again.

Clang, clang!

Some of the paving stones on the small paths in the complex were uneven due to age. Stepping on them produced occasional sounds.

This made the night in the complex even quieter and more desolate.

Jiang Yue pulled his hoodie tighter, zipping up the hood to block the rain and ward off the cold.

Logically, the chill of Qingming was not as severe as in the depths of winter.

But tonight—

The biting wind was bone-chilling, eerily cold. Especially after entering the complex, the temperature seemed to drop by more than ten degrees instantly. It felt like suddenly falling into a large ice cave, making one shiver uncontrollably.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The wind grew stronger, making the tree branches sway wildly. The rustling of leaves and grass sounded like whispers in the dark, adding to the unknown eeriness.

The creaking of a window, blown open by the wind, sounded unnervingly eerie.

"Awooo--awooo!"

Suddenly, from the darkness beyond the reach of the streetlights, a chilling scream echoed, sounding remarkably like a baby's cry.

Even though he knew it was just stray cats in heat, it still sent a fine sheen of sweat down his back.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the three-minute walk home felt unusually long tonight.

The already dim streetlights seemed even more feeble this evening, like a dying old man whose life could be extinguished at any moment.

Suddenly, Jiang Yue stopped in his tracks.

He didn't have eyes in the back of his head, nor did he hear any noise.

But his sixth sense suddenly warned him that something was approaching him from behind.

Almost the instant he stopped—

A hand appeared behind him, a slightly thin and pale hand, patting his shoulder.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Unit 2, Building 8?"

Jiang Yue spun around abruptly. A deathly pale face was almost pressed against his own.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Unit 2, Building 8?"

It was a student asking for directions, about the same age as Jiang Yue, wearing a uniform from Star City Middle School. Perhaps a bit shy, her eyes darted around, and her hands fidgeted uncomfortably, tugging at the hem of her uniform.

Jiang Yue remained silent, his gaze as cold as a knife, fixed on the other's face.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The rain began to fall harder.

Water droplets landed on Jiang Yue's hair and face, then dripped down his cheeks.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Unit 2, Building 8?"

The school uniform girl's voice was cold and lifeless, mechanically repeating the same sentence.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed in Jiang Yue's mind, as if a button had been pressed. A sacred halo, invisible to anyone but himself, yet undeniably real, rapidly emanated from his entire body.

It was as if countless Vajra Dharma forms, accompanied by faint Buddhist chants, spread outwards with the halo.

"Ah!"

The school uniform girl's vacant eyes suddenly blazed with immense terror.

She let out a sharp scream that pierced the silence of the night.

Then, like a wisp of thick smoke, the school uniform girl suddenly dispersed, rapidly vanishing from her spot.

The rain stopped.

The wind stopped.

The streetlights seemed to shine a little brighter.

Jiang Yue was completely dry. Not a drop of rain had fallen on him.

"Brother Jiang Yue?"

A surprised shout came from not far behind him, followed by the sound of cheerful footsteps running over.

"Xiao Yi?"

It turned out to be a familiar face. The girl from the next apartment in the same building. He had run into her parents, Uncle Ye and Aunt Zhang, in the hallway just yesterday, and they had mentioned her.

"It really is Brother Jiang Yue!" Xiao Yi was overjoyed, jumping and bouncing as she grabbed Jiang Yue's arm.

She was a few years younger than Jiang Yue and in middle school. This was the age when young girls started to develop crushes. Brother Jiang Yue was good at studying and handsome, the ideal boyfriend in Xiao Yi's fantasies.

"Xiao Yi, what are you doing out here so late at night?"

Having just experienced such a terrifying ordeal, even though he was sure the Xiao Yi in front of him was a real person, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncertain.

"I just went downstairs to throw out the trash, and on the way, I met a sister who said she couldn't find Building 8, Unit 2, and asked me to show her the way. I don't know what happened, but as I was leading her, we ended up here."

Xiao Yi was usually a bit scatterbrained, and her explanation was equally muddled.

However, hearing it, Jiang Yue broke out in a cold sweat. This little girl had just walked through the gates of hell.

"You didn't take her there, did you?"

"I did! I hadn't reached Building 8 yet. Huh? Where did that sister go?" Xiao Yi only then remembered that the sister was missing and craned her neck, looking around.

"Xiao Yi, I was walking from that direction just now, did you see me?"

"No. I was walking along, and suddenly I felt very cold, and it seemed like the wind picked up. My vision blurred for a moment, and when I opened my eyes, I saw you, Brother Jiang Yue. Oh, right, Brother Jiang Yue, did you see that sister? I wonder if she found Building 8?"

Jiang Yue's scalp tingled.

His forehead felt cold, and three terrifying words surfaced in his mind.

Ghost hitting the wall!

No wonder Jiang Yue felt the walk home tonight was especially long, no wonder he hallucinated rain.

No wonder, though he and Xiao Yi were less than ten meters apart, they couldn't see or hear each other!

Watching Xiao Yi return from the gates of hell, yet still looking like she was worried for others, Jiang Yue was at a loss for words.

This child was not only carefree, but also lucky to be alive.

If he hadn't happened to enter the complex at this exact time, missing it by just a few minutes, the consequences would likely have been terrifyingly different...

Wait...

Jiang Yue's expression suddenly changed, he suddenly remembered something!

Building 8, Unit 2?

This location felt so familiar.

He must have heard it today!

He racked his brain, searching his memory.

Soon, the answer sprang to mind.

The murder case from earlier today, he had listened for quite a while in the small plaza.

Someone had indeed mentioned it at the time, that the victim of the rape-murder case was surnamed Su and lived in Building 8, Unit 2!

A chill swept over Jiang Yue's entire body once more!