Ghost Stories Can Be Put to Practical Use

Only then did Yao Hui remember that she seemed to have wet her pants.

Her expression stiffened, but with Fang Xian still there, she forced herself to stay calm. "Oh, right, right, right. I haven't washed my clothes yet. I'll go now."

That left Song Yizhou standing there, watching Fang Xian feel around the corridor.

Seeing how focused he was, Song Yizhou wanted to say something.

But Fang Xian had already walked over. "It's fine now."

Fang Xian wasn't the sort of person who liked to lecture others.

He had told Song Yizhou not to leave the school unless she needed to.

But running into a Ghost Story was still a rare occurrence.

Besides...

Fang Xian suspected that the Paper Figure's appearance had something to do with that little fellow in the baseball cap. Song Yizhou and Yao Hui had been caught up in his trouble.

Tch... That's not quite fair. You two chose to come here.

At that thought, Fang Xian looked at the beautiful Song Yizhou.

In her pajamas, she had a slightly languid air, different from how she usually looked.

No. Better stop looking.

Fang Xian glanced around. "All right, there shouldn't be any more trouble. Go back to sleep, Song."

Song Yizhou hesitated. Had that Paper Figure really been nothing more than a prank?

She knew it hadn't.

It had seemed to come completely alive.

It had been writhing!

No one had been moving it.

Song Yizhou's cool eyes rested on Fang Xian.

The young man before her seemed exhausted. Under the lights, his unusually fair skin looked almost deathly pale.

He had wounds on his body, too, more than she had seen yesterday.

What on earth had happened to him?

Clever Song Yizhou did not ask him there. She gave a slight nod. "Fang Xian, if you need anything, you can call me. I'm quite capable."

Fang Xian yawned. He couldn't even be bothered to make a dirty joke out of that.

"All right, go back to your room. Oh, and next time you message me, don't just ask, 'You there?' Tell me what you need."

Song Yizhou froze, then gave a somewhat bewildered "Oh." She felt she ought to object—messaging someone on WeChat without first asking whether they were around seemed rude—but when she saw his expression, she kept it to herself.

Once Song Yizhou had returned to her room, Fang Xian's next step was to find the owner downstairs and check the security footage.

The guesthouse seemed to have excellent soundproofing. Despite everything Fang Xian had done on the second floor, no one on the first had heard a thing.

"Fang Xian... you looked like a different person just now. You didn't even respond when I called you."

On the guesthouse's first floor, He Qi was dragging the half-dead Human-Faced Fish. As soon as he saw Fang Xian coming down the stairs, he spoke up.

Fang Xian gestured for him to be quiet. "He Qi, don't say anything for now. Whatever it is, including anything about the Human-Faced Fish, tell me later."

Then he calmly walked toward the room where the guesthouse owner was staying.

He did not hesitate.

Knock, knock, knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

He knocked directly on the door.

"Who is it?!"

The guesthouse owner opened the door with a long face. When he saw Fang Xian, his expression eased a little. "What is it? It's the middle of the night. Did something happen?"

Fang Xian looked grave. "Sir, please show me your ID."

The owner stared. "Huh?"

Fang Xian remained composed. "I'm Fang Xian, a Level Three Inspector with the Jiangzhou General Affairs Bureau. I need your assistance with the investigation of one or more cases."

All traces of sleep vanished from the middle-aged owner's face.

Is he for real?

Something feels off.

The owner asked, "What exactly is going on?"

He rubbed his head, wary. Telecom scams were rampant in Jiangzhou these days, and supposedly they originated in Southeast Asia, beyond Great Xin.

Fang Xian looked around, then spoke in a low voice. "I left in a hurry and didn't bring valid identification. However..."

He took out his phone and tapped at it briefly. "You'll shortly receive a text from the Jiangzhou General Affairs Bureau's official number, 10222, confirming my request for assistance. Please check it and reply."

"To make sure the number hasn't been spoofed, you can verify it as many times as you like and call it back."

Fang Xian spoke so quickly that the middle-aged owner could only stare at him.

Not even a few seconds had passed

before the owner's phone actually rang.

A new text message, from... 10222.

[Jiangzhou General Affairs Bureau: Mr. Xu Yuanlin, please assist Level Three Outstanding Police Inspector Fang Xian of this bureau in investigating a case. Afterward, please evaluate Inspector Fang Xian's response and subsequent handling of the matter.]

[Reply 1 for satisfied, 2 for somewhat satisfied, or 10086 for dissatisfied. Please reply within twenty-four hours. Thank you for your cooperation.]

The bald owner jolted.

Holy shit.

What's going on?

I haven't even shown this guy my ID.

How did the text arrive already? And how does it have my name?

Isn't that the Jiangzhou General Affairs Bureau's number?

The corner of Fang Xian's mouth curled up like some smug overlord's, but he immediately dropped the expression when he realized it didn't suit him. "Our bureau is connected to the household registration records for all of Jiangzhou. It's only natural that we know who you are. Now please confirm the message quickly and assist me with the investigation."

The owner handed over his ID as quickly as Fang Xian had been speaking, then hastily changed his tone. "Young man... Officer, what exactly happened?"

Fang Xian made a show of examining Mr. Xu's ID. "Two things. First, another concerned citizen and I caught the Human-Faced Fish. It's connected to a murder case, which the Jiangzhou General Affairs Bureau has now taken over completely."

The owner poked his head out. At once, he saw the nearly six-foot-long fish and its horrifying human face.

Holy shit!

What is that thing?!

Fang Xian continued, "Because the case has wide-reaching implications, don't tell anyone about it. Find somewhere out of sight to keep the fish tonight. Our people will come and handle it later."

The owner nodded like a pecking chicken.

He Qi, standing off to the side, was utterly dumbfounded.

What happened? What did Fang Xian say to make the owner so cooperative?

Fang Xian was pleased. "One more thing. The security cameras on your second floor are on, right?"

The owner secretly poked his head out for another look at the fish. "Yes."

"Come with me. I need to check the footage."

"If there are cameras around the guesthouse, I'll need to see that footage too."

Fang Xian glanced at the owner, who was itching to edge closer to the Human-Faced Fish. "That fish is vicious, so be careful. And remember: no photos, and don't post anything about it on public social media like Tremble or Little Sweet Potato."

The owner said, "Got it, got it."

Fang Xian nodded, radiating the rugged confidence of a General Affairs Bureau officer.

The moment Fang Xian wasn't looking, the owner pulled out his phone and took a flurry of photos of the Human-Faced Fish.

He had to keep a memento of something this bizarre.

Tomorrow night, then. Eating it might not be such a bad idea.