Chapter 1957: Chapter 1108: Sincerity
Morning, Detective Agency.
As the first ray of sunlight seeped through the window crack, Yang Xiao turned on the two phones laid out before him.
One was his own, the other belonged to Xiao Lin Zhengyan.
These two phones were handed over to Yang Xiao for safekeeping after they returned last night, both had their batteries and SIM cards removed, and were only reassembled after dawn.
This is not needless worry, but a lesson learned in blood. They have now confirmed that any call made from Youjian Mountain Station would bring them misfortune.
Following that would be the pursuit of the Water Ghost; the instance they experienced, as well as Kato Shinjiro’s, were the same.
As the phone screens lit up and the message box popped out, Yang Xiao was taken aback at the sight of the sender.
It was Yamamoto Chunai; this timid woman had actually sent him a message.
And not just one.
Upon opening the messages and seeing the content inside, both Yang Xiao and Takagi Reina were greatly shocked, astonished at the richness of the clues, and simultaneously filled with respect for Yamamoto Chunai’s courage.
At this moment, as Xiao Lin Zhengyan picked up his own phone to look, his eyes couldn’t help but redden, and in the next moment, tears streamed down.
He too received a message from Yamamoto Chunai, explaining that her capture had nothing to do with Mr. Chu Xi, it was her own fault. She hoped he would continue to trust Mr. Chu Xi, and to apologize on her behalf, saying it was all her fault.
After taking the phone Xiao Lin Zhengyan handed over and seeing the content on it, Yang Xiao felt a mix of emotions in his heart, and the image of Yamamoto Chunai’s reserved face involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
In his view, ordinary people like Yamamoto Chunai and Sato Shouta, who are full of goodwill and hope, deserve to live on; they should live on as the world needs them to embellish it.
But the dead cannot come back to life. After a few words of simple comfort to Xiao Lin Zhengyan, Yang Xiao steadied his mind and got back on track.
What they can do now is not to disappoint Yamamoto Chunai’s goodwill; they must leave alive and continue living with the hope of Yamamoto Chunai.
The intelligence that Yamamoto Chunai sent this time is extremely critical. Yang Xiao never expected that a seemingly frail person like her could burst out such a strong willpower in a desperate situation.
She successively escaped the pursuit of two waves of ghost passengers, faced the Water Ghost directly, traversed the underground passage, and fought her way through to the Underground City that no one had stepped into before.
The most crucial points in the intelligence provided by Yamamoto Chunai are threefold.
Firstly, it supplemented and perfected the Water Ghost’s method of killing, confirming that it had an ancient umbrella inserted in its back, which was its ace in the hole, with the ability to create a regional acid rain.
According to Yamamoto Chunai’s description, this so-called "acid rain" is not real acid rain which directly corrodes the body, but it can cause intense pain.
This is not a capability that an ordinary Resentful Eye Ghost would have. Yang Xiao, therefore, determined that the Water Ghost was a Spiritual Apostle when alive, and the ability of that ancient umbrella is related to spiritual attacks.
Such entities are usually very troublesome, and Yang Xiao judged that Ogawa Haruka and the others likely perished in that "acid rain."
And this time, with the intelligence taken by Yamamoto Chunai risking her life, this Water Ghost posed almost no threat to them.
Secondly, Yamamoto Chunai explored the underground passage and successfully made it through.
After learning of the explosives’ existence and location, Yang Xiao’s judgment was consistent with Yamamoto Chunai’s at the time—the explosives were meant to destroy this section of the passage, which precisely proves that something extremely dangerous exists below.
Currently, the only thing Yang Xiao can think of is the Source Ghost.
And the inside of the passage also hides deadly traps, with the Paint Ghost wandering within, but as to why Yamamoto Chunai wasn’t killed by the Paint Ghost, and how she navigated through the Ghost Hitting the Wall, Yang Xiao couldn’t figure out.
But one thing is certain, no ghost would give up a chance to kill, she must have accidentally done something right, a fact that even Yamamoto Chunai herself wasn’t aware of.
"She tripped and made it through, why don’t we try that next time?" Takagi Reina cautiously asked from the side.
"If you want to try, you try." Yang Xiao wasn’t satisfied with this answer; after all, it was too absurd and too dangerous, a misstep could lead to a leg injury, and that would be troublesome.
Because the content of Yamamoto Chunai’s text was very concise, many details need Yang Xiao and the others to supplement with their own judgment, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty significantly.
But they only feel admiration and gratitude towards Yamamoto Chunai, as every word in the information was exchanged at the risk of her life.
At Yang Xiao’s proposal, they began a scene simulation, intending to recreate the encounter Yamamoto Chunai had in the underground passage last night.
Amongst the three, the only woman, Takagi Reina, became the best candidate, as her height and build were most similar to Yamamoto Chunai.
To make the simulation more realistic, Yang Xiao had Takagi Reina bring a few items—a map, a phone, and a "flashlight" improvised from a mineral water bottle.
After several rounds of simulation, Yang Xiao discovered a crucial point. If one were to roll down the stairs in the chaos, the flashlight in hand would surely be lost.
And judging by Yamamoto Chunai’s character, she likely wouldn’t dare to go back to pick up the flashlight, meaning she ran out in the dark.
"Could it be that the so-called Ghost Hitting the Wall deceives the eyes, so in conditions where there’s light, people can’t find the exit?"
"And when Yamamoto Chunai fell and rolled down the stairs while fleeing, the flashlight slipped, and without the light, the Ghost Hitting the Wall lost its effect, allowing her to escape by instinct in her panic." Takagi Reina analyzed while pondering.
