New Year's Day Ghost Fetus (4)

"19 weeks? Then you didn't get pregnant on New Year's Day."

"Yeah, if it's 19 weeks, then I didn't get pregnant on New Year's Day. My husband hadn't started getting busy then either... Am I... am I crazy?"

"Miss Yu, what about the handprint on your abdomen?"

"They can't see it."

"You mean your husband and the doctors?"

"Yes, neither of them can see it. That day... did you really see it?"

"Miss Yu, we didn't lie to you. We've also been investigating this matter lately. If you need to, you can look at what we've found so far. If we were deceiving you, there'd be no need for us to go this far."

"But they can't see it, they can't see it... Not just the doctors and my husband! I asked my friends, asked my parents. I even went around asking strangers in the hospital restroom like a lunatic, and none of them could see it! I... sob... I think I'm crazy..."

"You're not crazy. The change in the pregnancy timeline and the fact that no one can see the handprint may mean that ghost did something. If it's convenient, could you come to our office? We also need to examine your physical condition again."

"Mm, okay. I'll come tomorrow."

"Please bring the hospital report with you."

"Okay..."

"Xiaomeng, what are you doing?"

"Ah, I..."

"Who are you talking to on the phone?"

"I... no one!"

Beep—beep—beep—

March 30, 2004. The client did not appear. Contacted by phone. Call recording 200403301312.mp3.

"Hello, Miss Yu..."

"Who are you people?"

"Hm? Mr. Wang? Hello, I'm from an insurance company. I spoke with Yu ******** before..."

"I don't care who you are. Stop harassing Xiaomeng! Xiaomeng has already told me everything! She's just in the early stages of pregnancy and had hallucinations due to stress! We'll go to the hospital for treatment. We don't need scammers like you causing trouble!"

"Mr. Wang, our agency isn't a scam. Since opening, we've helped many people resolve their troubles. What Miss Yu encountered..."

Beep—beep—beep—

March 31, 2004. Attempted to contact the client again. Phone could not be reached. The client had completed leave procedures and moved away from the contact address.

April 2, 2004. Completed preliminary screening and statistics for previous occupants of Room 809. Confirmed 3,591 males and 4,602 females, including 28 deceased males and 47 deceased females.

Attached: one list.

April 4, 2004. Obtained the client's prenatal examination records. Data showed she was healthy and had no abnormalities. The ultrasound recorded a blurry image of the fetus, confirmed to be a ghost.

Attached: one ultrasound record.

April 18, 2004. Completed the second round of screening for previous occupants of Room 809. Confirmed three males and two females among the deceased had died abnormally. Detailed individual investigations will be conducted.

Attached: one list of five people.

April 20, 2004. Contacted the parents of one of the deceased, Zhang Xuan. Audio file 02320040420.wav.

"September 3, 1999. That night, he got a call from his workplace. Something had happened there, and they needed him to make a decision. The whole family was having dinner at the time. He told us, put down his chopsticks, and left. We didn't think much of it. After dinner, our daughter-in-law cleaned up, then watched TV with us. Not long after, the phone rang. It was his workplace again, asking why he hadn't arrived yet. Our daughter-in-law answered it. The voice on the other end was loud, so we all heard it. We found it strange—Xuanzi had been gone for quite a while, so he should have arrived at work by then. Our daughter-in-law got nervous right away, afraid he'd been in a car accident. She told us to stay home, hailed a taxi herself, and searched along the route. His workplace also sent people out to look for him. They paged him and sent so many messages. The old couple stayed home waiting, and then we got a call from his workplace. Xuanzi... Xuanzi had been found halfway there. Someone had thrown him by the roadside. His head was smashed open, and he wasn't breathing..."

"My condolences."

"Mm..."

"We didn't go see him. Our daughter-in-law found him while searching along the road. She fainted from crying when she saw him. His coworkers were the ones who brought her back... Later, the police, people from his workplace, and reporters like you all came. They asked us questions all day long. What could we answer? The police said it was robbery and murder, not anything else..."

"At first, lots of people came. Then fewer and fewer did. No one has come these past few years. It's kind of you to still remember."

"As we understand it, Zhang Xuan's wife, Meng Fangfang, remarried two years ago. She doesn't wish to discuss this matter. Could the two of you tell us what she was like as his wife, before Zhang Xuan's death and during the three years afterward?"

"After the funeral, she moved back to her parents' home, but she came to see us often. She and Xuanzi didn't have any children, and she was young. We couldn't let her spend her whole life held back by Xuanzi."

"She and Zhang Xuan had a good relationship, right? Did anything unusual happen before Zhang Xuan died?"

"Mm, very good. She was a good daughter-in-law, a good wife. They met through a blind date. Between dating and marriage, they were together for three or four years, and their relationship was always very good. Nothing happened. Everything was normal."

"Forgive the intrusion, but why did they never have children?"

"Why? There was no reason. That sort of thing happens naturally. They'd only been married for a year."

"Why are you asking about that?"

"Because reports from that year questioned their relationship and speculated that what happened to your son might have been a crime of passion... We're very sorry, but as reporters, we have to provide a comprehensive and detailed report."

"Oh... Their relationship was very good. It was always good. There was nothing like that."

"The police also said it was robbery and murder. A serial offender. They never found the killer, even after all these years... Sigh..."

"Mm. Then, do you two remember Zhang Xuan staying at the Junli Hotel in November 1998? We found information on this, but given the social circumstances at the time, few people stayed in local hotels."

"His workplace was receiving foreign guests."

"Foreign investors."

"Yes, foreign investors. Xuanzi and several of his coworkers moved into the hotel."

"I see..."

Zhang Xuan. Doubts remain: First, the hotel reservation was made under Zhang Xuan's personal name, not by his workplace. Second, Meng Fangfang remarried two years ago and has yet to become pregnant. Further investigation required.

April 23, 2004. Contacted Zhou Guangcheng, husband of the second deceased, Wei Yinan. Audio record 02320040423.wav.

"You just said you're reporters from Strange Tales and Oddities?"

"Yes. We learned through various channels that your wife's death was highly suspicious. Please forgive our intrusion."

"Mm. You said there's money in it for me, right?"

"Of course, but we hope what you tell us is truthful and detailed. Our magazine focuses on 'genuine paranormal incidents.' Some readers visit the places where those incidents occurred and may conduct their own investigations, so..."

"Oh, fine. That really was a strange matter."

"Please, go ahead."

"Before New Year's Day in 2002, the two of us traveled to People's Celebration City. It was cheap around the holidays, and even four-star hotels were discounted... Oh, sorry, I've wandered off topic."

"It's all right."

"At first, we were quite happy. On New Year's Day, we returned to the hotel early. We were waiting to watch the New Year's fireworks, ordered room service, watched New Year's programs, and didn't plan to go out again. But that day, we were groggy. Somehow, we fell asleep. When we woke up, it was already the next day. We hadn't seen any of the programs or fireworks. When we got up that morning, the television was still on. I was lying on the floor, while she was on the bed, and neither of us had any clothes on. I knew right then that something had happened."