Chapter 1494: Chapter 908: Missing_2
Furthermore, it can also be corroborated by the final recording left by Munan.
Now that the ghost’s identity has been overturned, a new question arises: who exactly is this ghost?
"Could it be that the whole thing is unrelated to the two cases at East Mountain Machinery Factory? Maybe it’s an issue with the film crew, something went wrong during filming," Yang Xiao speculated.
"Very possible. Do you remember, many people from Chen’s Film Company signed a confidentiality agreement, promising not to disclose a certain event. This indicates that if leaked, it would have extremely serious consequences," Jiang Qingluan recalled.
"There was an accident on the set, and someone died. This led to the halt of production, actually, the whole film was scrapped," Chen Nang added.
"That sounds plausible, but I have a question. Can something like this... really be kept secret?" said Liu Yang, joining the conversation.
"You have to think within the context of that era. This happened at least twenty years ago. Back then, social media wasn’t as developed as it is now. If the compensation was adequate and things were tightly covered up, a few deaths weren’t considered a big deal," Yang Xiao shook his head, recalling those old news stories and films about such subject matter, which were shocking one after another.
These are all just speculations for now. They need to quickly confirm the identity of the Source Ghost. They don’t have much time, and the current situation is very unfavorable to them.
As time ticked away towards midnight, Yang Xiao was starting to feel a bit sleepy. At that moment, the silence upstairs was broken, and the entire building seemed to come alive. Footsteps, crawling sounds, mixed with heart-wrenching cries for help—a familiar scene replayed once again.
While Yang Xiao and the others managed to stay calm, Shu Shuang’s face clearly showed signs of tension.
When "people" outside found no response from knocking on the door, they eventually chose to leave. Once the coast was clear, Yang Xiao opened the door and walked out first, with Jiang Qingluan and Chen Nang following closely.
After their figures disappeared into the smoke outside, Liu Yang, who was guarding the door, quickly closed it.
Unlike Yang Xiao and Chen Nang, it was Jiang Qingluan’s first time here and also her first time being selected. Through the safe passage, they reached the 18th floor, where smoke billowed and heat waves rolled, but the visibility was slightly better than on the 17th floor, which seemed quite strange when thought about.
On the way to Chen’s Strange Film Industry, Chen Nang suddenly stopped, giving a bitter laugh.
"Has that female ghost targeted you again?" Yang Xiao was a bit surprised, as Jiang Qingluan was the only newcomer among them, and both Yang Xiao and Chen Nang had previously escaped from the Hanging Ghost. He instinctively thought the female ghost would choose Jiang Qingluan.
"I’ll go deal with her. You two, be careful," Chen Nang detached from the group, something planned from the beginning. The selected person needed to leave decisively.
This slightly disrupted Yang Xiao’s plan, as Jiang Qingluan cooperating with him wasn’t the optimal solution.
It’s not that Jiang Qingluan was incapable, but because she was in poor condition after just recovering from serious injuries, both her physical and mental strength were severely impacted.
However, there was no other choice now. Yang Xiao could only hope to complete the mission himself, while wishing Jiang Qingluan could protect herself.
On both emotional and rational grounds, he didn’t want anything to happen to Jiang Qingluan.
Emotionally, the two had a good relationship, having supported each other during the Fushou Manor task. If it wasn’t for Jiang Qingluan kicking him out of the Nightmare World at the last moment, she would likely have met a worse fate.
Rationally, the visit to the Yi Sect was essentially a transaction. He was there to save Jiang Qingluan, while the Yi Sect people would save Nalan Shuo. If Jiang Qingluan died, he was uncertain if this deal would face any variable.
If possible, Yang Xiao wished she could get out alive and would lend a helping hand, as long as she didn’t foolishly fall into a deep trap.
Yang Xiao had experience exploring the 18th floor at night, and combined with the maps and clues left by Zhou Mingxiao and Munan, the duo easily evaded a few burnt ghosts, gradually approaching the core area of Chen’s Strange Film Industry.
But upon nearing the core area, Yang Xiao and his companion stopped advancing and found a safe place to hide.
They were waiting.
Waiting for news from Chen Nang.
Before long, from the depths of the corridor they’d traversed, a slow, dragging noise gradually reached them—it was the Waist-breaking Ghost, exactly what Yang Xiao had been waiting for!
Based on previous experience, as they approached the core area, the burnt ghosts would appear increasingly strange and unpredictable, making them hard to guard against. However, following this Waist-breaking Ghost would significantly reduce such dangers.
In terms of horror, the Waist-breaking Ghost was evidently far more terrifying than the numerous burnt ghosts. But having understood its method of killing, in the eyes of Yang Xiao and the others, it was merely an NPC they could utilize.
Indeed, after following the Waist-breaking Ghost, all the nearby burnt ghosts vanished. After giving Jiang Qingluan some final words, Yang Xiao went ahead alone. With the Waist-breaking Ghost leading the way, he had an unobstructed path and easily reached the place Munan visited last night.
It was a large shared office. Through the lens of an automatically activated DV camcorder, Yang Xiao saw something extraordinary—the burnt office had reverted to its appearance before the tragic incident occurred years ago.
The office was tidy and bright, its walls adorned with numerous photo frames. On the desks were sundries and water cups, with clothes draped over some chairs, yet not a single shadow of a person; the entire scene was deathly silent.
Not wasting any time here, Yang Xiao followed the map drawn by Munan, heading straight inside, quickly arriving at the location where Munan had been last night.
