Weakening

The skinny guy and I were on the same wavelength, asking the question in my mind with exasperation: "That outfit wasn't preserved properly, yet it's still in perfect condition. Don't you think that's suspicious?"

Chen Xiaoqiu glanced at the skinny guy. "The fabric is good, and the craftsmanship is excellent. That's quite normal."

The skinny guy and I exchanged a look, then glanced at the dazed expressions of the chubby guy and Guo Yujie. We were utterly helpless.

I opened the file and pointed to a line. "This outfit was burned by people from Qingye. If it's the same outfit as you said, then there's a problem."

Chen Xiaoqiu looked at the file carefully and said unhurriedly, "There are two possibilities. One, the people from the agency lied, and they didn't burn the outfit. Two, I made a mistake in my judgment. The two outfits might be of the same style, made by the same person, but not the same actual piece."

As soon as I heard this, I knew Chen Xiaoqiu didn't believe in ghosts. She said this without the slightest hesitation, knowing the agency's name contained "supernatural" but never considering the existence of such events. Chen Xiaoqiu's explanation was flawless and logical. I was speechless.

The skinny guy, perhaps locked in a battle of wills with Chen Xiaoqiu, no longer seemed afraid of ghosts and asked sharply, "What happened to the students who wore that outfit?"

Chen Xiaoqiu shook her head. "The students who were supposed to perform in the play got into a car accident. I don't know about those before them."

"If they all died inexplicably, wouldn't that prove the outfit is problematic?" the skinny guy pressed on.

"What do you mean?" Chen Xiaoqiu frowned slightly.

"Don't play dumb. Isn't it obvious? An outfit burned by a supernatural agency suddenly reappears, and everyone who wore it dies. What else could that signify?" the skinny guy said excitedly.

"I've already addressed the issue of whether it was burned or not. If the people who wore the outfit really died, it's possible the outfit carried some kind of deadly pathogen," Chen Xiaoqiu explained scientifically.

The skinny guy was defeated.

"Then let's investigate," Guo Yujie said. "Whether it's problematic or carries a pathogen, it's very dangerous. If everyone who wore the outfit died, Xiaoqiu, you shouldn't wear it."

Chen Xiaoqiu didn't object to this. "I'll ask the drama club members."

With that topic concluded, we continued our work. Today, we identified another 3 pairs of Ye Qing and Liu Miao.

The skinny guy and the chubby guy made several phone calls. They were able to find people quickly. Upon asking, they learned these individuals were not from Qingye. This screening process was much easier than finding the 10 pairs, and in the blink of an eye, all 20 people were ruled out.

"Do you think they might have lied to us?" the skinny guy asked, hanging up the phone and stroking his chin.

"Why would they lie to us? Demolition is a good thing," the chubby guy said.

"But what if they committed crimes here and are fugitives?" the skinny guy's imagination ran wild.

"Did you see any wanted criminals named Ye Qing or Liu Miao in the system?"

Our old leader was capable. He managed to get us temporary backdoor access to the public security system to cross-reference this list. If Ye Qing or Liu Miao were truly wanted criminals, there would definitely be a record in the public security system. With more than half the work done and still no sign of them, the skinny guy was getting restless.

The skinny guy shook his head. "Criminals aren't necessarily wanted! What if they committed a crime and the police haven't discovered it yet?"

"If you think that way, it'll never end," the chubby guy said. "What if they aren't even human, but ghosts?"

The skinny guy looked terrified. "Don't talk nonsense! Spit, spit, spit!"

The chubby guy, being good-natured, obediently "spit, spit, spit."

"Could it be that our method of finding people is wrong? What if these two didn't meet through normal channels in reality?" the skinny guy proposed another possibility.

"Then you'll have to investigate them one by one," I replied, emphasizing the word "you."

The skinny guy looked despairing and slumped onto the desk.

I didn't put much stock in either of the scenarios the skinny guy mentioned. Listening to the audio recordings, Ye Qing and Liu Miao didn't sound like people who would commit crimes. If they were, they'd be the cream of the crop, living openly in the place where they committed their crimes without any pressure. Even if the two met through other channels, they would definitely have met in reality. My concern was that even if they met, we wouldn't be able to find any clues through the public security system alone. In the earlier years, when the internet wasn't as developed, various databases hadn't been established, phone numbers didn't require real-name registration, many forms of transportation didn't require real-name verification, and when renting rooms or staying in small hotels, there was no need for online registration. In such circumstances, tracking someone's whereabouts would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

"Didn't we say before? Just do the work you need to do, and you'll be able to account for it later," I encouraged the skinny guy.

The skinny guy sighed.

Despite that, working diligently for days only to achieve "accountability" was indeed disheartening.

Chen Xiaoqiu ignored our conversation, still diligently sifting through the personal information.

I had only casually glanced at her, but then I seemed to see something on her shoulder and focused my gaze.

"Qi Ge, what are you looking at?" the skinny guy asked, sitting up from the desk and turning to look at Chen Xiaoqiu.

Chen Xiaoqiu finally reacted, stopping her work.

"Oh, nothing," I answered blankly.

The thing on Chen Xiaoqiu's shoulder was gone.

Was it my imagination? Or...?

My thoughts abruptly stopped. I turned to look at the computer screen, but my mind kept wandering.

In the following days, even the simple-minded Guo Yujie noticed something was wrong with Chen Xiaoqiu. Chen Xiaoqiu was visibly losing weight at an alarming rate, her eyes were dull, and she lacked any spirit. Yet, Chen Xiaoqiu herself seemed oblivious. When we asked her indirectly, she looked utterly bewildered. The old leader visited a few times and, finding no issues with our work, left with a troubled expression. He then frequently called Chen Xiaoqiu for heart-to-heart talks, trying to counsel her, but it was of no use.

The four of us remained silent, feeling an emptiness in our hearts, as if we were witnessing something terrifying unfold before our eyes – something we didn't want to believe, couldn't deny, and were powerless to stop.

One day, the office staff were having lunch together as usual.

Chen Xiaoqiu's appetite had significantly decreased. She was slowly chewing her rice when her phone suddenly rang.

A young girl's voice came from the other end of the line, laced with sobs that were audible to all four of us at our table.

"Cousin! Cousin, I, I've killed you! That damned Ma Yibing hid it from me! I kept wondering why so many drama students from one academy couldn't be found for this role! Zhang Shanmei, that woman who loves to show off, actually refused this play! They all knew, and they didn't tell me! It's too much! Cousin, sob sob... Cousin, let's go pray to the Buddha! Don't be scared, I'll burn that outfit today! You'll be fine!"

The four of us changed expression. Then, a faint male voice could be heard from the other end of the phone.

"Li Ruolan, where did you hide the outfit?"

"I burned it! I burned that cursed thing! I'm telling you, Ma Yibing, if anything happens to my cousin, I won't just burn the outfit, I'll burn you too!" Chen Xiaoqiu's cousin shrieked into the phone.