Mr Wang told Chen Ge about the serial murders from more than twenty years ago. Part of the details matched the information that Chen Ge already knew.
For example, the killer once drowned the victim at Eastern Jiujiang Dam, and the killer lured the victim into White Dragon Cave Tunnel. There were even residents who saw the killer push the victim off a tall building.
Due to the distance, the witnesses could not see the victims' faces clearly. They only knew that all the victims were young children. They wore different clothes, but their size and height were very similar. It was like the same person had been killed multiple times.
Hearing what Mr Wang said, Chen Ge's heart was raging. When he was doing the Trial Mission given by the black phone, he had seen these scenes before.
The child who had been killed many times through various methods was his past self!
Reaching out to press on his temple, the veins on Chen Ge's forehead popped. The fragmented memories in his mind were rearranging themselves, and his head was throbbing with pain.
"Mr Wang, are you sure the last victim's name is Chen Ge? Have you found his body? "
"Even though I did not find his body, I was at the scene when he was killed." Mr Wang's eyes were filled with regret and guilt. His hands tightened into fists. "After our investigation and analysis, we locked onto three children in Jiujiang who looked very similar to the children in the pictures. We concluded that the killer's next target would be one of these three children."
"So, you set up a trap around these three children?"
"Yes. At the time, we were understaffed, so I was summoned to join Team 7. We were responsible for guarding a private orphanage in Eastern Jiujiang." Mr Wang paused. Afraid that Chen Ge might not understand, he added, "Of the three children that we locked onto, one lives in Jiujiang City, and his family is very well-off; one lives in Western Jiujiang, and he is the child of the manager of Luo's Real Estate; and the last child lives in an orphanage in Eastern Jiujiang."
The information of these three children did not match up to Chen Ge at all. He remembered very clearly that at the time, he had lived with his parents at Jiang Yuan Apartments in Eastern Jiujiang.
Of the three children that the police had locked onto, none of them were him, so why was the last victim named Chen Ge?
"Until now, I remember very clearly that the police only told the orphanage's teacher and director the truth. The children did not know anything. They played like usual and then went to sleep."
"After dark, everything was normal. It was not until midnight that the child that we locked onto disappeared."
"I don't know how the killer did all this. Until today, I still haven't figured it out."
"After the child disappeared, I immediately reported it to my superior. Then, I went to search for the child with the rest of Team 7."
"In the end, I and Captain Yan, who had just started working at the time, found the child inside an abandoned building in Eastern Jiujiang." Mr Wang's voice was shaking. Many years had passed, but now that he thought about it, it was still difficult for him to control his emotions. "The child was terrified. He was badly injured, and his eyes were filled with the desire to live. He begged me and Captain Yan for help. He said that his name was Chen Ge, and he wanted to see his parents. But just as the child was about to tell them his parents' names, the killer came in. "
"The child told you personally that his name was Chen Ge?" Chen Ge did not have this memory at all. He could not remember anything.
"Everything that I'm telling you now is the truth."
"What happened after the killer came in?"
"The killer wore a white coat and a devil's mask. He appeared to have sprayed the room with drugs. Captain Yan and I started to lose focus. After communicating with the child for a while, he forcefully dragged him away." Mr Wang's expression was pained. "If only Captain Yan had fired at the time."
"Then, did you manage to capture them in the end?" Chen Ge was concerned about that.
"According to the officers from the other teams, they finally surrounded the killer by the river and personally saw the killer toss the victim's body into the river." Mr Wang took a deep breath. "The police caught the man in the white coat by the river. Everyone saw him kill the victim, so he was the killer! But the problem was, when they caught him, there were several suspicious points. First, the man in the white coat who was caught by the police was a madman. He kept mumbling 'don't ever come back, don't ever come back again'. Second, the white coat that he was wearing did not fit him at all. Third, from the way he killed, he did not look like a serial killer at all. "
"Graft a flower onto a tree? The real killer found a madman to put on a show for you? "Actually, what Chen Ge really wanted to say was that the victim might have been replaced as well.
The killer and victim that Mr Wang and Captain Yan saw were the real killer and the young Chen Ge. The ones that the police saw by the river were arranged beforehand. The killer was a fake, and the body that was tossed into the river was probably not Chen Ge but an orphan from Eastern Jiujiang's orphanage.
"You're right! You have the same suspicion as I did! " Mr Wang's eyes sharpened. "Captain Yan and I met the killer. Even though he was wearing a devil's mask, and we did not see his face, the chilling presence that he gave off was completely different from the killer that the police caught!"
"Did you find the body of the child from Eastern Jiujiang's orphanage?" Chen Ge asked another question.
Mr Wang shook his head. "In the whole serial murder case, none of the victims' bodies have been found."
Hearing what Mr Wang said, a speculation appeared in Chen Ge's mind.
Twenty years ago, the doctors from the cursed hospital had tried to kill him again and again, but they realized that no matter how hard they tried, they could not kill him. In the end, they even attracted the attention of the police.
To divert the police's attention, they purposely staged this show before the police so that the police could capture a scapegoat.
The victims and killer of this serial murder case were actually still in this world, but other than a few people, no one knew about this case anymore.
The truth would not change with the passage of time, but it would be covered up by time.
"Then, have you found the information about the previous victims?" Chen Ge held the streetlight and kept his head lowered.
"We did not find any information, and we did not find any bodies. In fact, even the hair and blood were cleaned up by the killer. There was nothing left behind." Mr Wang's expression was serious. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that this is a serial murder case, but when the police at Jiujiang closed the case twenty years ago, because they could not find the bodies of the victims, the case was classified as a vicious murder case."
"Is there a difference?"
"There is a big difference, but it is pointless to talk about that now."
In a strange city, Mr Wang and Chen Ge stood by the road. The people around them walked to and fro. Everyone was living their own lives, and no one paid attention to what they were talking about.
"You came to Xin Hai to reinvestigate this case?"
"Yes, the white coat that the killer was wearing was identical to the uniform of a private hospital in Xin Hai. Other than that, Captain Yan and I heard the real killer's voice before. He spoke with a Xin Hai accent."
"Do you still remember what the real killer said at the time?"
"I can't remember. The feeling of losing my memory is very uncomfortable." Mr Wang glanced at Chen Ge, but he did not continue.
Actually, after he visited Chen Ge's haunted house, he had experienced that feeling again. That was why he had recorded all the details in his notebook after he woke up.
This was not to say that he suspected Chen Ge was the killer. He merely felt that Chen Ge was not a normal haunted house owner, and that was one of the reasons why he wanted to cooperate with Chen Ge now.
"What is the name of the private hospital that you mentioned? What is its exact location? " Mr Wang was a witness to the serial murders from more than twenty years ago. Chen Ge happened to be missing a part of his memory from that time. Based on that, Chen Ge was prepared to help Mr Wang.
"The abandoned hospital is located at the junction between Xin Hai and Jiujiang. It has gone by many names, but the most popular one is Xin Hai Central Hospital." Mr Wang hesitated for a moment before turning to look at Chen Ge with sincerity. "My power alone is limited, and I cannot handle most situations. If you have time tonight, do you mind coming with me?"
"Just the two of us?"
"And Ol 'Wu." Mr Wang was determined to go, but Chen Ge knew that the three of them were not enough.
"Mr Wang, if you are willing to trust me, we'd better wait a few more days." Chen Ge would not tell Mr Wang his secret. He had already come up with an excuse. "The night before yesterday, Xin Hai Cards Archway collapsed. The police found the dead bodies there. This case is related to the case from one year ago."
"I know that the police in Xin Hai are very busy, so I can understand why they are not willing to help me."
"No, what I want to say is that the case is also related to the hospital that you told me about earlier." Chen Ge was very serious. "All three cases are related to that hospital. Sooner or later, the police in Xin Hai will realize this. When that time comes, we can go in together."
"Then, how long do we have to wait?"
"Soon." Chen Ge had no idea when the police in Xin Hai would find out about the cursed hospital. For now, that was all he could say. "You have already waited for twenty years. A few more days should not make any difference. Let's exchange contact information. When the time comes, I will contact you at the first notice."
"Okay." Mr Wang sighed in relief. If the police in Xin Hai could help him with the investigation, naturally, that would be for the best.
"Mr Wang, I will tell you one last thing. Do not go on the investigation alone. If you cannot explain it clearly on the phone, you can find me at the haunted house at Nightmare Academy on Xin Hai Century Avenue. " A reassuring smile appeared on Chen Ge's face. "That place can be considered as my property. It is very safe."
"Thank you." Mr Wang stared at Chen Ge. He wanted to ask something else, but in the end, he did not say anything. He turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.
After Mr Wang left, the smile on Chen Ge's face disappeared.
"How come I have no memory of this at all?"
What Mr Wang said could indirectly prove that Chen Ge had indeed been killed when he was young. This was not an illusion created by the ghost fetus but something that had really happened.
The thing that Chen Ge had been trying to avoid was now placed in the open. He could no longer avoid it. He had to face everything directly.
"The child who was killed over and over again should be me. All the information matches, and the people who killed me are from the cursed hospital. What kind of role did my parents play in this whole process? Why didn't they stop it? "
Chen Ge pulled at his hair tightly. This kind of thing had happened before, but he could not remember it no matter how hard he tried. "My parents have always been very kind to me. It was this family that taught me what happiness, warmth, and love is. How could parents like that watch me be killed over and over again?
"Perhaps the person who was killed by the doctor was not the real me? It was something on me? Like the evil spirit amalgamation on me? "Chen Ge took out the black phone and looked through the Trial Missions that he had done before.
"After I obtained the black phone, the first Nightmare Mission that I did was to stand before the mirror with my eyes closed. It was midnight. The me outside the mirror was a human, and the me inside the mirror was a ghost. One was kind and cowardly, and the other was cruel and scary. Was this mission meant to give me a hint through the mirror monster? "
Chen Ge could still remember the description of that Nightmare Mission. "I believe you are still curious about whether there are ghosts in this world or not. Let's play a little game. The truth will be revealed when you open your eyes."
"With the mirror as the main prop, if I opened my eyes at the time, would I have seen my reflection in the mirror?
"When the Haunted House officially opened for business, the first special visitor that I met was Fan Yu. The child was isolated in real life and had been searching for heaven. In the blood world behind the door, the other Fan Yu became the painter. He carried the curse and the spirit of the whole school and built a heaven in hell! "
"Fan Yu and the painter, one represents humanity, and the other bears all the sin; one lives outside the door, and the other enters the door.
"Fan Yu was the key to the opening of Mu Yang High School, and Mu Yang High School was the first two-star scenario that I experienced.
"The character who activated the three-star Trial Mission, the Third Sick Hall, was Meng Nan, and it was the same for Meng Nan! He was born in a mental hospital, and all the misfortune and pain morphed into Red Specter Meng Nan. His real body became Doctor Gao's student and lived a normal life.
Now that he thought about it, it was scary. Doctor Gao was the chairperson of the Society of Strange Tales, and Red Specter Meng Nan was imprisoned behind the door of the Third Sick Hall. Meng Nan's real body became his favorite student.
Doctor Gao probably knew more than Chen Ge expected. From the very beginning, he had been conducting some kind of experiment, and Meng Nan was his test subject!
"The four-star Trial Mission, the ghost fetus, goes without saying. The shadow escaped from my side. Based on the information that I have so far, he has suffered part of my pain and despair. He has been desperately seeking happiness and beauty, and it is this part of his emotions that has transformed into the seed of the ghost fetus.
Holding the black phone, Chen Ge's face blanched. He finally realized something.
Ever since he obtained the black phone, every key Trial Mission had been giving him a piece of information.
Behind one person's happiness was another person's sin and despair.
"Is there really another me behind the door?"
Chen Ge looked at the black phone in his palm, at the messages that came in, and at his own reflection on the cold screen.
"I think I understand now."
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