Chapter 1597 - 1560: Terror Returns Once More

“Wang Shanshan, I’m back. It seems those demolition teams won’t be returning today. Call me if anything happens.”

Grandpa Zhang sat in front of the small temple for a while longer, and seeing that everything was fine, he used his cane to wobble back home.

His home was also within the Guanjiang Residential Complex, an old villa.

Although it was a villa, the interior was very simple, not at all like a wealthy person’s home, and there were even signs of water leakage in some areas.

Moreover, three generations of the family lived in this house, a total of five people.

“Dad, you didn’t stop the demolition again today, did you? At your age, can’t you refrain from making trouble? Besides, this area is old and dilapidated, tearing it down and rebuilding is a good thing. I really don’t understand why you old people are against it. It’s not like others are trying to take over your houses. You can move back in when it’s rebuilt, and you’ll live more comfortably in the new complex.”

A middle-aged man, about fifty-something, hurried forward to support Grandpa Zhang.

“All these houses were built by your grandfather. Don’t I know how long they can last? I didn’t oppose tearing them down for rebuilding, but what if they collapse one day? Then who would they hold accountable? Those demolition teams, who know where they’re hired from, don’t even know which places can be demolished and which can’t. This complex has many taboos. If I don’t keep an eye on things, there will be trouble.”

Grandpa Zhang put on the airs of the older generation, admonishing his son.

“Zhang Wenwen, you’re still young and haven’t experienced much. Let me tell you, there are three places in this complex you absolutely cannot touch. Even if I die one day, you have to watch over them for me.”

“I know, I know. The first villa in the complex can’t be touched, the temple can’t be touched, and our house can’t be touched, right?” Zhang Wenwen said. “You’ve told me this countless times. My ears are getting calluses. Dad, let’s have dinner first. After dinner, I’ll go around and take care of things for you, okay?”

“You can go around, but when things happen, your dad still has to step in. When your dad was younger, you know, he was decisive in Dachang City. But now I’m old. Most of my old friends and juniors are gone. Otherwise, there’d be no need for me to step in personally.” Grandpa Zhang couldn’t help but sigh.

At this time, a young man in his twenties scoffed and said, “Grandpa, stop bragging. If you were so formidable, how’d the family end up so poor? Last year, we couldn’t even prepare the wedding gifts.”

“Zhang Tao, how can you talk to your grandpa like that?” Zhang Wenwen reprimanded.

“It’s true, though. Dad, didn’t you say the family was very rich when you were young? How is it that now there’s only this old house left?” Zhang Tao said.

Zhang Wenwen was silent for a moment, not sure how to answer.

When he was young, the family was indeed wealthy, and his father did have many friends and followers, holding great prestige in Dachang City. But then things gradually went downhill, until they ended up like this.

“Dad, Zhang Tao is still young and immature, don’t take it to heart.” Zhang Wenwen then glared at his son and said.

Grandpa Zhang waved his hand dismissively, “Your dad is broad-minded, how could he be bothered with his grandson?”

But just then, his phone rang.

“Ah Wei, where are you? Seven red coffins were dug up at the construction site today. Do you know about this? Is it going to cause trouble again? Do you need to come over and handle it?”

On the other end of the line was also an elderly voice, speaking loudly in case Grandpa Zhang couldn’t hear.

“Ah Fei, I’m having dinner. I’ll come over later. How could you let this slip? What were you doing all this time?” Grandpa Zhang grumbled.

“I wasn’t feeling well the past few days, went to the hospital and just got back today. Ah Wei, I’ll have to rely on you this time. I’ve heard those coffins are ominous, and I can’t handle it.” The elderly voice on the phone, Ah Fei, said.

“Useless.” Grandpa Zhang immediately hung up the call and then wobbly stood up.

Zhang Wenwen quickly supported him, “Dad, don’t go. I’ll let Zhang Tao run over and check the situation for you.”

“Do you want my grandson to die? Stop eating, help me up quickly, and go to the basement. Also, call your wife Xiao Lu. Tell her not to go to work and come back immediately.” Grandpa Zhang used his cane to head towards the basement.

“What are we going to the basement for? It’s piled with junk, there’s nothing there. It’s dark and damp, with rats. I won’t go,” Zhang Tao shook his head hurriedly.

Grandpa Zhang’s face darkened, and he turned to glance back.

His eyes were sharp and carried a touch of menace, causing a shiver that made one feel inexplicably cold.

“Zhang Tao, don’t talk back to your grandpa, or I’ll beat you,” Zhang Wenwen scolded.

Zhang Tao huddled his neck, not daring to object, and then cautiously said, “I’ll call Liu Xin over, we’ll go to the basement together.”

“Hurry up,” Grandpa Zhang urged.

Soon after.

Grandpa Zhang led his son, grandson, and granddaughter-in-law to the basement.

The basement was dimly lit, the air was foul, and it was cluttered with various old items: numerous outdated computers, a pile of expired comics, discs, some unused barbecue grills, and even several boxes of unfinished expired cola.

“Move those things aside,” Grandpa Zhang pointed forward and said.

“Zhang Tao, come and help,” Zhang Wenwen called his son, and together they moved the pile of junk aside.

Once the items were moved, Grandpa Zhang stepped over and pressed something on the wall, revealing a hidden compartment with a special mechanical combination lock inside.

Even after many years, the lock still shone bright and metallic, with a golden luster.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Wenwen couldn’t help but pause, “There’s a hidden door in the basement? Dad, how come I didn’t know about this?”

“You little brat, there are many things you don’t know. This is the second safety bunker your grandpa built back in the day. It’s not to be opened unless it’s absolutely necessary. Now those demolition teams outside have unearthed Wang Shanshan’s Ghost Coffin. If I don’t step in, I’m afraid everyone in the complex will die.” Grandpa Zhang grunted.

With a series of operations, the hidden door opened.

Inside was a passage, brightly lit.

Zhang Tao and his wife, Liu Xin, were taken aback, exchanging incredulous looks.

They hadn’t expected such a big secret hidden in their basement at home.

“Get inside.”

Grandpa Zhang used his cane, wobbling as he went inside.

The others followed behind, curiously examining the so-called second safety bunker.

“This safety bunker is quite something,” Zhang Wenwen reached out to touch the metal walls of the passage.

Walking along for seven or eight meters, there wasn’t a seam to be felt on the walls. Though there was some dust, once wiped away, the metal underneath was shiny, with no signs of oxidation or corrosion.

This kind of craftsmanship and material must cost a fortune.

After passing through the corridor, they entered a large room. At this moment, Zhang Wenwen, Zhang Tao, and several others widened their eyes, shocked by the scene before them. In the corner of the room, there were stacks of gold bricks.

Yes, you read that right—gold bricks. On each brick, there were some numbers engraved with laser, such as 999, 9, 1000G, etc. Despite the years, they still shone brightly; it was clear at a glance that these were genuine, not fake.

“Gold? So much.”

Zhang Tao immediately rushed over, wanting to grab a few, but he found that gold was too heavy. He could only hold one in his hand, then excitedly said to the others, “Wife, look, it’s gold. We’re rich.”

Liu Xin was stunned, still in shock.

Zhang Wenwen couldn’t help but walk forward too, picking up a few pieces, and was immediately dumbfounded: “Dad, how could there be so much gold here?”

“Embarrassing.”

Grandpa Zhang snorted, “Unseen brats, getting excited over a few gold bricks. Haven’t you always wondered why our family was rich but later became poor? Now you understand, don’t you? I converted all the family money into gold and stored it here.”

“Grandpa, are you kidding, was our family actually this rich before? Could buy so much gold?” Zhang Tao swallowed hard, his eyes red.

The gold stacked together was taller than him; this wasn’t something measured in grams anymore, but in tons.

If converted into money, we might not be the world’s richest, but definitely in the country’s top ten.

“What didn’t your grandpa have when he was young? Money, people; even those in the supernatural circle had to give me some respect.” Grandpa Zhang said discontentedly, “Stop looking, this gold isn’t prepared for you guys.”

“Our family’s gold isn’t for us, then who is it for?” Zhang Tao’s hopeful heart suddenly turned cold.

Grandpa Zhang said, “You’ll understand later. Stop looking, the gold here is the most useless thing; I was just annoyed it took up space, so I moved it outside with great effort.”

With that, he continued walking forward.

The others looked at each other further dumbfounded.

Annoyed by the gold taking space?

How extravagant must one be to say such a thing?

However, looking at the arrangement of the gold, it does seem like that’s the case, casually piled in the corner, not even wanting to occupy the hallway.

Continuing forward, they began to delve deeper into the safehouse.

At this time, Zhang Wenwen, Zhang Tao, and Liu Xin realized this underground safehouse was quite large, and there were several special rooms, all sealed and unable to be opened, unclear what’s inside.

It wasn’t until Grandpa Zhang took action that he opened one room that had been sealed for years.

The moment the lights turned on in the room, a golden glow filled the entire place.

“Wait, dad, are these rooms built with gold?”

Zhang Wenwen finally reacted. Along the way, he noticed the walls were golden, just covered in a layer of dust, so he hadn’t thought in that direction.

Not until seeing the golden glow of this room’s walls did he make this guess.

“Isn’t it reasonable to build a safehouse with gold? Why make such a fuss?” Grandpa Zhang said as he walked into the room.

Zhang Wenwen listened, stamping his feet.

His dad buying gold was one thing, but building a safehouse with it? Even with immense wealth, it’s unbearable to spend recklessly like this. No wonder the family was so rich in his childhood yet later became dirt poor.

Once again, Zhang Tao and his wife were shocked.

They realized they had been walking on a path paved with gold.

When they followed Grandpa Zhang into the golden room, they found it empty, except for a table.

On the table stood a wooden frame, holding a scarlet and eerie axe, with a lamp beside it.

It was an oil lamp.

The oil lamp was also made of gold, lotus-shaped, filled with black, foul-smelling oil.

Additionally, there were two golden pistols placed next to it, with several boxes of ammunition neatly beside them.

“Turns out Grandpa wasn’t exaggerating; in his youth, he was indeed a dual-wielding gunslinger.” Zhang Tao’s eyes were immediately drawn to the two golden pistols.

Grandpa Zhang looked at the axe with a nostalgic expression, as memories resurfaced.

“I’m not so old I can’t move.” He reached out with his wrinkled hand and picked up the scarlet axe.

“Wenwen, take the oil lamp, be careful not to spill the oil inside, we don’t have much left.”

He couldn’t carry the lamp in one hand and the axe in the other like before, so his son had to do it.

“Dad, what are these things?” Zhang Wenwen carefully picked up the golden oil lamp and asked.

“Stop dawdling, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you; hurry and look at the coffins, those people have been dead for ages, once opened they are likely to have turned into fierce ghosts by now; they won’t be easy to handle.” Grandpa Zhang carried the axe, leaned on his cane, sighed, and then slowly walked out.

Meanwhile.

Reporter He Feng and his wife Zhou Mei had finally reached the entrance of the Guanjiang Residential Complex.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, this complex is being demolished for reconstruction? This is tricky. Most of the residents must have moved out, getting important interviews could be tough.”

He Feng was dumbfounded to see the complex reduced to a construction site.

“Let’s take a look; there might still be areas yet to be demolished, someone might still be living there.” Zhou Mei said.

“Alright.” He Feng nodded.

Leveraging their status as journalists, the couple smoothly entered the construction site and soon overheard workers discussing something peculiar. The workers mentioned that several red coffins had been unearthed at the construction site ahead, and those coffins were said to be sinister, causing some individuals to disappear.

“A red coffin?” He Feng’s interest was immediately piqued.

He inquired with the workers and, after confirming the approximate location, rushed toward the spot where the red coffin was located.

Before long.

He Feng and Zhou Mei found the scene of the incident.

At this moment, the site manager Liu Yan was leading a team to handle the seven red coffins.

“Who opened these coffins? Who’s in charge of this area? Don’t you know that incidents like this need to be reported? If these coffins are artifacts and you damaged them, each of you will go to jail.”

Liu Yan was quite annoyed when he saw the coffin that had been opened, pointing out the workers’ mistake.

“It seems this area is under Wang Jian’s responsibility,” a subordinate said from the side.

“Call him and have him come over,” Liu Yan said. “Have you reported it yet? If not, report it immediately, and deal with these coffins as soon as possible; don’t delay the construction progress.”

The subordinate immediately picked up the phone to notify Wang Jian.

However, as soon as the call went out, something eerie happened—a cell phone ringtone started ringing from one of the red coffins.

Everyone, including Liu Yan, was stunned.

“What’s going on? Wang Jian’s phone is actually in that red coffin?” someone exclaimed in astonishment.

However, the ringtone kept echoing, and by identifying it, they could accurately tell which coffin it was coming from.

“Did Wang Jian open that coffin and accidentally drop his phone in?” Liu Yan asked.

“I think only one coffin was opened, but there was nothing in it; it was an empty coffin, and that coffin didn’t seem to have been moved,” someone replied.

“This is too strange. Maybe we should just bury these coffins back, better safe than sorry,” someone else suggested.

Liu Yan said, “Strange, my foot. Two people come over here, open that coffin, and retrieve Wang Jian’s phone. Otherwise, when the investigators come, they’ll say we tampered with the crime scene. Also, cover up that opened coffin, carefully, so as not to damage it.”

Immediately, two workers volunteered and walked into the pit, coming to the coffin from which the ringtone was emanating, preparing to open it and retrieve the phone.

He Feng and Zhou Mei mingled in the crowd and quickly took out their phones to capture the scene.

Their instinct as journalists told them this might be a significant news story.

But just then, the ringing phone abruptly stopped.

The person who had just made the call suddenly looked pale, his hand holding the phone trembling slightly.

Because the call had gone through, and it showed that it was in call status.

Startled, he quickly hung up.

At that moment, a sense of unease crept over him.

What exactly in the coffin answered the call?

Meanwhile, the two workers were already trying to open the coffin lid.

The red coffin lid was extremely heavy, but after much effort, the coffin that had been sealed for who knows how many years finally slowly opened.

“Quick, quick, focus on the coffin and shoot,” He Feng urged.

“My phone seems to have an issue; shoot it yourself.”

Beside him, Zhou Mei’s phone suddenly had a flashing screen and couldn’t capture properly.

“No, my phone has an issue too,” He Feng discovered that his screen was also flickering, as if under some interference.

“Bang!”

With a heavy thud, the coffin lid was opened, and a cold chill quickly spread around.

However, what was inside the coffin left everyone dumbfounded.

The inside of the coffin was very clean, with no signs of seepage, and there lay a pale-skinned, exceptionally well-preserved female corpse inside. The corpse showed no signs of decay, appeared stunningly beautiful, with long, thick, jet-black hair.

Even more eerily, the cell phone Wang Jian had lost was held in the hand of this female corpse.

“This coffin must be at least decades old; how could the body inside not decay at all?” Liu Yan pondered incredulously.

The female corpse inside the coffin looked more like a sleeping living person than a deceased one.

Beside him, the reporter He Feng was also dumbstruck.

This scene exceeded everyone’s understanding.

Because even the best preservation techniques couldn’t achieve such a result.

“Unless… the thing in the coffin isn’t human,” Zhou Mei whispered, recalling a book she had read.

An inexplicable fear surged through her, making her instinctively take a few steps back, desperately wanting to escape from there.

He Feng also noticed his wife’s uneasiness and suspected that there was something abnormal about the body in the coffin. He swallowed hard and cautiously retreated.

“Wow~!”

Suddenly.

One of the workers who opened the coffin suddenly felt nauseous and bent over, vomiting.

But what was horrifying was that what the worker vomited wasn’t bile but a large quantity of black hair.

The other worker suddenly showed a look of terror. It seemed that countless fine lines were writhing under his skin, and his eyes turned pitch-black. Then, his body suddenly convulsed, and he collapsed to the ground. Black hair was also pouring out of his ears, nose, and mouth.

“Ah.”

The two workers screamed in agony, struggling for only a moment before falling silent, dying on the spot.

“Run! What’s in the coffin isn’t human, it’s a vicious ghost.” He Feng couldn’t hold back anymore, he shouted in terror.

At this moment.

After sixty years, the ordinary people’s fear of ghosts re-emerged.

Suddenly.

All the onlookers nearby scattered like wild animals, fleeing in all directions as if their lives depended on it, trying to get as far away from those coffins as possible.

He Feng was no exception. He pulled his wife Zhou Mei to escape early, fearing that whatever was in the coffin would target them.

The scene just now left him baffled.

Why did the missing phone end up in the coffin?

Why did the woman’s corpse remain undecomposed for decades?

Why did the worker’s mouths spew an absurd amount of black hair… and how did those two workers suddenly die?

No idea.

No idea at all.

There was only fear of the unknown.

“This doesn’t seem like the way out of the complex,” Zhou Mei panted, realizing they might have run the wrong way.

“Doesn’t matter, don’t stop.” He Feng felt a chill down his spine but didn’t dare stop, fearing ending up like the two workers.

As they ran.

An elderly man, around eighty, leaning on a cane and carrying a red axe, was walking toward them with a middle-aged man around fifty.

“Just looking at their scared faces, you can tell they’ve seen a ghost. We’re still late by a step, and those damn demolition teams did open the coffin,” Grandpa Zhang murmured, stopping to glance into the distance. “There’s no mist; seems it’s not Feng Quan. But let’s hope it’s not Li Yang—if that guy revives, it’ll be another Door Knocking Ghost, extremely vicious. Best if it’s Xiong Wenwen; beating up kids is what I’m best at.”

“Son, light the oil lamp directly.”

Zhang Wenwen nodded and immediately lit the golden oil lamp.

As the lamp burned, a strange stench spread out, while the lamp’s light was particularly eerie. Though it was daylight, a dim halo couldn’t be covered up, casting light like an aura around the vicinity.

“What is this lamp oil? Why does it stink so badly?” Zhang Wenwen couldn’t help but hold his nose.

Grandpa Zhang said, “This is corpse oil extracted from a ghost, of course it stinks.”

“You can’t be serious.” Zhang Wenwen trembled all over, nearly dropping the lamp in fright.

“Old man, go back, don’t walk forward, there’s danger on the construction site ahead,” He Feng shouted loudly, wanting to stop the two from heading toward the construction site.

But as he and his wife Zhou Mei drew closer, Grandpa Zhang glanced over, raised the red axe, and swung it behind them.

He Feng and Zhou Mei were startled, thinking the old man was raising the axe to chop them, but then realized it struck the ground behind them.

“You unlucky kids, you’ve been targeted by a ghost. Luckily your Grandpa Wai saved you, or you wouldn’t have survived today. Kneel and knock a couple of times; consider it gratitude for my saving grace.”

Grandpa Zhang slowly retracted the axe.

On the ground behind them were several strands of severed black hair.

The hair was long, rooted as if it had grown into the two’s bodies, and once chopped, the other end disappeared immediately.

Moreover, what was incomprehensible was that this black long hair could only be entirely visible under the dim oil lamp’s illumination, becoming invisible once outside the lamp’s range.

He Feng also saw the black long hair on himself and his wife, and couldn’t help but shiver.

This is too uncanny.

When did it attach itself?

He had no idea.

“Old man, are you, are you one of those legendary ghost tamers?” He Feng cautiously asked, associating things in his mind.

“I’m just an ordinary person with some skills, definitely not a ghost tamer—don’t say such things. Ghost tamers have short lives, and you’re cursing your Grandpa Wai by saying that. If you don’t want to thank me, then stay away. Grandpa Wai has other things to do today.”

Grandpa Zhang warned them, then continued forward, carrying the axe, muttering to himself as he walked, “Black hair… must be Ghost Hair, seems like it’s Huang Ziya reviving—not too hard to deal with, just a matter of a chop.”

“Dad, is it really haunted? Shouldn’t we go back?” At this moment, Zhang Wenwen hesitated while holding the oil lamp.

The events of the past hour had completely overturned his understanding, making him feel he’d lived in vain his whole life.

“Go back? Where to? If that thing isn’t dealt with, everyone in the entire complex will die. In a few days, the bodies in Dachang City could circle this area three times. Your dad has been the second hand in Dachang City his whole life and has never backed down. How can he lose his integrity at this age?”

“Come on, don’t be timid. Trust your dad, this thing can be solved.” Grandpa Zhang carried his axe, showing some vigor, as if returning to his old self.

He Feng and Zhou Mei were dumbfounded on the spot.

They remembered what the old man Zhang Zhidong from Dadong City had said.

Where there are ghosts in this world, there are also people who deal with them.

“It’s true, everything is true—this is the truth buried sixty years ago…” At this moment, he completely believed it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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