The New Year's Ghost Fetus

"You should say it's a ghost's voice."

"If that's the case, has this ghost become stronger? Appearing all the time?"

"Perhaps, it's possession."

"Huh? Boss, are you saying..."

"Yu Meng is in danger, we must find her location as soon as possible."

"We can only start with surveillance."

"How long will it take?"

"At least a week. The police station's firewall isn't that easy to break."

May 19, 2004: Excluding the four people from the list of deceased, only in Sun Gan's social circle could "Xiao Ling" not be confirmed.

May 20, 2004: Screening the 7,000-person list from Room 809, 298 women with "ling" or "lin" in their names were found.

May 22, 2004: Received contact from Zhang Dong, a former employee of Junli Hotel. Audio file 02320040522.wav.

"I heard from former colleagues that you were asking about the hotel and mentioned a square diamond ring?"

"Mr. Zhang knows about this? Could you tell us more?"

"Mm. I joined Junli when it first opened. I was just a regular employee back then, working in the housekeeping department. The manager of our department was my senior from when I studied abroad. He returned to China first, and we kept in touch. When Junli opened, I had also returned to China. He asked if I wanted to work at Junli, so I did."

"The strange occurrences at the hotel, including that square diamond ring, are related to him?"

"...Yes, it's related to him. I... I don't actually know the details of what happened. I always thought my senior had a girlfriend. I met that woman twice too. They had a good relationship, and they looked like a perfect match. My senior was very happy. They were at the stage of getting married, or at least, my senior had that intention. He bought a ring, preparing to propose. This practice was more popular abroad, and back then, the concept of a wedding ring was just emerging in China. I remember that ring very clearly."

"Did he choose Room 809 at the Junli Hotel for the proposal?"

"Yes..."

"The proposal failed?"

"Yes..."

"May I ask what happened?"

"What happened? Heh... That day, my senior invited his girlfriend to Junli and made special preparations. Many of us helped him decorate the room and wished him well. But the person who arrived wasn't his girlfriend. We all thought it was a mistaken guest. I was about to say something when my senior opened the door first, and that man punched him. We were all stunned, frozen for about one or two seconds before reacting. But by then, the man had already pushed my senior into the room and closed the door. We were in a panic. By the time we found the key card and opened the door, a lot of time had passed. When we went in, the room was a mess, and the man was still relentlessly beating my senior. A few of us men rushed in to stop him. When he couldn't hit him anymore, he started yelling, accusing my senior... of raping his wife..."

"So, your senior's girlfriend was a married woman?"

"Yes... Hoo-- We really didn't expect that. I saw my senior... his face was all swollen then, but I could tell he was also very shocked. He definitely didn't know about this."

"How was the matter resolved afterward?"

"For the hotel's reputation, we didn't call the police. My senior wasn't in the mood to call the police either. He kept calling his girlfriend, but she didn't answer. He was injured and took a long leave of absence. We didn't dare to ask about it... But after the room was tidied up, the cleaning lady gave us the wedding ring and asked what to do with it. I had to contact my senior to return the ring."

"Was it the square diamond ring?"

"Yes, it was the square diamond ring."

"What did he say after you met?"

"At first, he said nothing, just stared at the ring. He was very dejected. Seeing him like that, I knew that man wasn't lying, nor was he crazy. The woman had deceived him. Later, he said he wanted to have a drink, so I accompanied him. After drinking until he was completely drunk, my senior started talking. The woman wasn't answering his calls, but he still found a way to reach her. However, she avoided him, seeming very afraid of him. He had gone to her workplace then and happened to meet her colleague. Her colleague even advised him not to ruin her life, saying her husband was very fierce and prone to violence. For her sake, she asked my senior to stop pursuing her."

"So, people at her workplace knew your senior?"

"Yes. That's why I said my senior had no idea the woman was married! He had met her colleagues, her parents, and they all supported their relationship! Who knew a husband would suddenly appear! Those people are despicable! And that woman too! Her husband abused her, she could have called the police, divorced him, or anything else. It's just that the social environment back then wasn't quite like that. But you shouldn't harm others! They all knew she was having a hard time, knew her husband was a scoundrel, and they didn't help her. When my senior appeared, they acted like they had found a lifeline for her and kept it all from my senior! My senior got beaten up, and that woman or they themselves were probably taught a lesson, and then they said such sarcastic remarks! Damn it! My senior had been dating that woman for half a year! Damn it!"

"Was she pregnant?"

"Ah... you..."

"It seems you know a lot."

"I... I can only guess... I can only guess."

"Tell me about the pregnancy."

"My senior told me when he was drunk. The reason their affair was discovered was because that woman got pregnant. Her husband was a long-distance truck driver, and the timeline didn't match, so he immediately knew she had cheated on him. Then he found my senior. Do you know? That woman herself told her husband about it, including the room number 809 and the time. She even had an abortion without any hesitation! After being discovered by that man, she acted like a dog, begging the man for forgiveness, going for an abortion, and even claiming my senior had raped her! That bitch deserved to be beaten!"

"Perhaps she had been subjected to domestic violence for a long time, so..."

"So she pushed my senior out? What did my senior do? Did he deserve it?"

"..."

"None of them are good people. My senior did nothing wrong, yet they ruined him!"

"Ruined him?"

"That man later extorted my senior with this matter. He was truly a scumbag, and that woman was a bitch. She found a small clinic for an abortion, and that fetus was kept by that man to threaten my senior! Once, he even dragged that woman to prove that mass of flesh was my senior's child! That woman later met my senior alone, crying and begging him for forgiveness, asking him to save her and take her abroad to escape. Ha!"

"And then?"

"My senior originally wanted to break up with that woman after knowing the truth. But they kept pestering him, sometimes even coming to the hotel. My senior was implicated and suspended. Then they went to my senior's home and almost drove his parents to death... A few months later, I received a call, a funeral notice for my senior. He was hit by a car while trying to avoid those two bastards, and... that's how he died..."

"You keep mentioning 'guessing,' but from what I've heard so far, it all seems to be established fact."

"I..."

"What is it that you are guessing?"